Love Bound: Night Calling
by Amthyst
Summary: A haunting in the middle of the forest had never boded well - the cause of unexplained disappearances even more so. There is something that draws people to their deaths - a nightly calling that they alone can hear. In the midst of despair their cries for help are unheard. Closing in on the prey, SPR realize too late that they themselves are victims. Complete.
1. An Unknown Return

**Love Bound:**

**Case 2:**

**Night Calling:**

**Prologue:**

**An Unknown Return:**

**March 10:**

Mai rolled over in bed willing for sleep to lull over her. She rubbed her sleep-deprived eyes in frustration. She frowned up over at the blurry ceiling fan, her sheets tangled all around her in a messy disarray. The silence that lingered around her apartment in usual rang in her ears like a pair of cicadas having manifested under her bed. Agitation and restless filled her whole body as she kicked out her legs to release some of the pent up energy. She had no clue as to why she was having a bout of insomnia, and all so suddenly as well.

A cold wind blew through the window, making her shiver and bring the sheets more securely over herself – she regretted not wearing anything more warmer tonight, she was too lazy to get up and amend her mistake.

She rolled over to her side so that she was facing her window. She could make out the top of some trees even as she lay there. She searched the sky for the moon but it was in vain since it was too high up and all she could see was a silver bottom ring at the top of the window. She rubbed her eyes again and his time she drew the dirt collected at the edges of her eyes as well. _Boy; was this getting on her nerves. _She grinded her teeth together and got up – she had had enough. She grumbled out of bed, her shoulders were hunched with tiredness as she stretched her arms and popped her muscles in the shoulder. She made her way over to her kitchen to make herself a cup of oolong tea to soothe her nerves.

She sighed miserably as she sipped her tea. It made her feel better but not as much as she had hoped it would have done. She rested her head on the table, her eyelids drooping again and this time she didn't stop them – even though she craved a much softer surface for her head. She was almost asleep when she jerked up again with a not-so-feminine grunt. She groaned miserably and dragged her feet over to the couch. She collapsed on the couch, welcoming the warmth that came along with it. She sighed in relief as she snuggled in the couch, sleep finally taking over her with one last thought running through her head – she had better not be late tomorrow.

She jolted awake again after five minutes with a big, miserable groan. This was one of those times when just wanted to cry for a small reason as this. Tears welled in her eyes, as she beat the couch in misery, feeling silly for crying in such a situation. She wondered briefly as to Oliver would say if he caught her in such a situation. A twisted smirk made its way onto her features as Oliver's disdainful look made its way into her mind.

"_Idiot," _she could almost hear him say that as though he were standing in her apartment with her, _"You're more of a baby then I thought,"_

To which she would reply angrily, _"Apparently, I don't live like an old grandpa like you," _

"_Which gives you the excuse to behave more then half of your age?" _

Yes that was Oliver…nice and strong, great comebacks and a blunt manner. She stifled a yawn, her tears had dried after awhile but she had made no effort to get up, even though sleep was calling. She slapped her cheeks to wake herself up – she was thoroughly irritated and annoyed. She wanted to take a cool bath now, but she was feeling too lazy to make the effort.

A sudden urge to know the time made her rise her body slightly off the couch. Sadly, this effort was in vain as well – there was no watch in her eyesight and she fell back on the couch, her stomach still grumbling with the need to know.

She lifted her legs in the air, an act to release the extra energy that had gathered there. She sighed, as the satisfying sound of bone cracking reached her ears. She turned her head so that she was looking into the seat of couch. She could clearly make out the rough texture of the cloth used and sidled a hand uselessly to see how it felt under her touch, her mind wandering off to recent changes that had taken place over the three months since their last case.

Madoka was now coming along to a good six months. This was definitely taking a toll on both Lin-san and Madoka. The poor Chinese man didn't have the power to deal with sudden mood swings and huge appetite cravings that Madoka seemed to present after God-awful hours. The stress and strain had almost driven him off of his own appetite and he hadn't been sleeping very well for a couple of days. To relieve him of the stress Mai had asked Ayako to take care of Madoka for awhile. If Mai hadn't been so busy with her job and education then she would have helped as well. Though, the consequences of this little service had given rise to a slightly irritated Ayako, the woman had taken it in her stride to provide Madoka with everything that she needed. The result, as Mai had hoped, was a well-rested and less strained Lin. Mai and Lin had even shared a home-cooked dinner at the office in the previous week. Mai had made a Chinese Dish that day and Lin-san had been more then satisfied to tell her how it tasted. A small smile spread across her face as she remembered the look on Lin-san's face as he had bit into the delicious smelling Chinese Rice.

As for the others, the things looked the same. Though, Masako and Yasuhara seemed to be going on rather well despite their shaky start. Mai buried her head in the couch with a small squeal, her mind turning off to Oliver.

She sighed. He hadn't been doing very well lately; he seemed more distant and cold then usual. He had stopped accepting cases – even the ones that seemed to have potential, and chose to remain shut up in his office for the remainder of the day. Mai had been awfully concerned for his well-being and had even asked Lin-san as to what had been bothering the dark-haired young man. Unfortunately, Lin-san had seemed as clueless as her – what with his own problems and sleeplessness. He had, though, after he had gotten much better, ventured out to ask Oliver what was bothering him. Oliver had replied coldly that it was none of his business and that he be left alone. Lin had even gone as far as threatening him with his parents but, Oliver had been persistent as usual.

This revelation had put things on edge in the office and she had been glad of the company that Lin-san and the others provided. Nobody had a clue what was going on through that head of his…his constant bad mood and the deadly aura that shrieked 'stay-away-if-you-want-live' was enough to make anyone give up on trying to coax anything substantial out of him. Though, one thing was clear to everybody, as they tried to chew their unwanted concern away, that whatever was bothering him had to be serious.

Mai turned her head again so that she was facing her small television set. Everybody had been understanding enough (eventually) to not take his secrecy into offence – Oliver, they concluded, was _not _going to change and any attempts made on their behalf would be no better then poking a very angry dragon in the eye. Mai turned in agitation so that her whole body was turned towards the television.

Mai had finally snapped, some two weeks ago when he had come to the office in a tired and sleep-deprived state. She had asked him what was wrong, only to get a brief glance in her direction before he walked into his office – Mai's following calls had fallen on deaf ears. She had decided that she would confront him when he called for tea – only to find that he made no such orders that day. Blistering and genuinely scared Mai had stormed into his office to find the blinds drawn more then half-way and a very tousled hair young man in tow.

His dark eyes had flickered to her momentarily as she stomped in and she had seen them darkening in way that clearly told her that she was unwanted. Angry and hurt by his coldness she had demanded for an explanation after she had told him that everybody was worried sick about him and hiding his problem from friends was not something that people did in friendship. He had replied, somewhat gently, that it didn't concern her and they were all idiots for worrying about him. Mai had yelled that it _did _concern her since it was _his _problem.

He didn't reply for awhile, his eyes were dark and meaningful as he had stared down at her. She had then pointed out the fact that he was loosing sleep and that could hardly be good for his health. He had dismissed her coldly that he did not want to talk about it. He had even ventured on to say that this wouldn't have become a problem if they had just minded their own business. Mai had burst into tears and had run away from him – or tried to anyway, only to find that Oliver had grabbed her wrist and yanked her around so that she was facing him. He had dropped her hand as immediately as her body turned around.

He had then proceeded with much caution, saying that it would be foolish if this got in the way of how things had been going on in the office. He had apologized for making her worry and Mai had stopped crying due to the shock of being exposed to his sincerity. He had then told her that they shouldn't worry and he'll work things out for himself and that he needed her to understand. Mai had felt weak after he had said those words and she had bowed her head in shame. He had patted her head lightly and she had apologized for being difficult. He had dismissed her with an attempted smile and an order for tea.

Despite their little talk, Mai still worried about him and in the light of the fact he was still not getting any sleep. But she had refrained herself from asking – not wanting him to get down mean and dirty with her. Their relationship would not have survived that blow. So she compromised.

The aloofness had returned after their talk.

Making her way through the streets of Tokyo, Mai casted a sleepy eye towards the rain-clouded sky, the feeling of foreboding was strong inside her. To top things off her stomach was aching with cramps – period cramps? Nope, they weren't in the area where you usually got those cramps – these were in the upper part of her stomach. She clasped her arms tightly around her tummy to ease the growing pain – she was too distracted to notice a dark figure making its way towards her. They were almost colliding until she gasped and the figure passed through her – leaving her cold and more awake then she was since yesterday.

She whirled around to see the figure standing behind her – and what was more that nobody else could see it. She looked at it suspiciously, she had never encountered a spirit outside of work before…so why now?

The ghost, yurei or spirit was a female – staring gloomily back at her. She had dead looking eyes and a dark liquid stood frozen down her sullen face – she looked foreign. Her western-styled clothes were in tatters and her right arm stood at an odd angle as though it were broken. _How did she die? _

The spirit stood there, not moving on, just looking at her with those dead eyes – and close to Mai thought she looked sad. Having dealt with spirits of the sorts Mai approached with much caution. She didn't know how long this woman had been dead to make sure that she hadn't been tainted with the evils of this world – _and a crowded place such as this… _

_But…_if she had wanted to hurt Mai then she had had enough time to act on the impulse and regardless Mai couldn't leave her to stay in limbo. Before long, she will turn evil and where will that take them to?

Mai hesitated as she took a tentative step towards the woman, "Ar-are you lost?"

Mai waited with bated breath, ignoring the odd looks that people were giving her. The spirit turned her slightly in a slant as though contemplating her words. Mai wasn't sure whether she'd answer her or not, but –

"I…don't understand," the woman's voice was hoarse and thick as though she had been crying and Mai watched her with a prying eye. Curiosity piqued in her as she replied.

"What…don't you understand?"

The woman gave her an odd look as though appraising her and Mai felt a chill crawl up her spine and her stomach rumbled with ants, but she ignored the feeling.

"I want to see my husband…" she paused, thinking whether to trust Mai or not, "I…can't find him…"

Comprehension dawned in Mai's features as she heard those words. She smiled sadly at the woman who seemed to be looking at her with dull and bored eyes, "You haven't been trying hard enough…"

The woman looked surprised but Mai continued on, "Look for the light…he's just waiting for you there," Mai reached out a hand unconsciously towards the woman. She may not be able to touch her but she did know what the notion could mean to the woman. The woman drifted over cautiously and placed her hand in Mai's hand. The place felt cold but Mai didn't withdraw. She saw the woman's eyes drift away from her and to a certain spot over her head.

"You'll see him…you want that, don't you?" Mai vaguely remembered what Gene had told her during one of their most mind-boggling cases ever – back when she had still believed him to be a hidden version of Oliver himself. He had told her that she could not pity them but instead show them the light by creating her very own light – her memories.

"I'll meet him one day as well and then we'll happy…and together," Mai smiled again and she could feel a warmth filling her and she could see that the woman could feel it as well – as much as she could, that is.

"We'll be happy…?" she trailed of dazedly.

"That's right. You should go now…he must be waiting,"

"Yes…I should go…"

Mai felt the slide away and turn towards a shining light with a sunlight filled smile making its way onto her face… Mai wiped her tears away with a small smile. She sighed before her senses came crashing back down her and she felt the smile slide of her face.

The feeling of ants crawling in her stomach returned as well as the foreboding that had settled over her some while back. And to top matters off, she felt dead sleepy again. She turned unhappily towards the way she had been going. Oliver's bad mood was something that she _did not _want to face right now.

Oliver ran an agitated hand through his hair, ruffling it even more then it was before. He didn't know how much of this restlessness he could take. The little walk that he had chosen to take to relieve himself was working small wonders. He felt a little refreshed and a little lightheaded, the headache that he had had gained while cooped up in office was all but gone. He heaved a small sigh as SPR came into view. He wondered briefly, what he'll do when he gets back and for once he regretted not taking any cases in awhile. His lips pulled down in frown, his sleep-deprived eyes were feeling itchy but he refrained from itching them as he got onto the escalator taking him up.

He knew very well what his foggy mind would trail off to when he was stuck in his office without any work to do. That was an area that he was less then happy to explore – and, strangely enough it gave him a certain pleasure to think about it as well. He grimaced, how crude it was of him to think like that – unclear and uncertain.

He opened the door to the office. His eyes fell on his assistant, who must have come in some twenty minutes before. He saw her look up as he closed the door behind him. She looked tired and he frowned at the unhappy expression on her face as she gazed at him bleary-eyed. He looked at her questioningly which earned a snort of annoyance and an incoherent mumble in return, "I'm not in the mood to talk,"

He turned away from her with his head in the air and swiftly made his way towards his office door. He was about to turn the door knob when he heard loud groan from behind. He whipped his around to see that Mai was holding a trembling to her lips while the other rested on her stomach – she was about to be sick. He watched with narrow eyes as she stood up and lumbered her way over to the common washroom. He saw her almost fall to her knees when she had reached the door but hauled herself up by the gripping the door handle.

He watched anxiously, contemplating whether to follow or not when the front door opened and an annoyed looking Ayako entered the office with a sheepish looking Monk trailing behind him.

Oliver let his hand drop from the handle as they greeted him.

"Yo," was the ever-ominous greeting from Monk.

"Where's Mai?" Ayako was the first one to notice the absence of the fiery brunette. They stiffened when the heard the unmistakable sound of someone retching – a definite feminine sound to that.

"Mai?" Ayako called worriedly just as the door to Lin's office was roughly opened to admit a stoic man looking suspiciously around.

"Was that Mai?" his voice was trailed with the barest hint of concern.

"We heard it too," Monk replied as Ayako hectically made her way to the washroom door and banged it open just as another retch filtered the air.

What Ayako saw didn't please her in the least bit. A panting and pale Mai was crouched near the toilet – her hands gripping at her stomach tightly.

"Mai," Ayako's voice came out sacred and worried as she ran to pull the girl's hair out of her face. She grabbed her own clip and tied it messily in a loose bun. She proceeded with rubbing the girl's back in a soothing way.

"Ayako…" Mai's voice was weak and pained.

"It's alright,"

Mai retched again but nothing came out, Ayako frowned and raised herself slightly to see the contents of the bowl – empty.

"Mai, what's wrong?" Monk's voice came through the door. Ayako looked back to see that Lin Monk were standing in the doorway with concerned expressions. And she could barely make out a black fabric from the side of the doorway – no doubt that Oliver was leaning against the wall.

Mai retched and when nothing came out she groaned, "Why isn't anything coming out?"

Mai felt really awful, not only was her stomach convulsing continuously but the feeling of ants crawling in her stomach was more pronounced. She banged a frustrated fist on the floor. Ayako shared a look with Monk. But it was Lin-san who moved forwards with a frown on his face.

"Mai…" he crouched down beside the panting girl – she did look awful.

"My stomach…" she hunched over in pain, her teeth bared, a few stray strands of hair fell on her face, "It hurts…" a sob escaped her lips just before she heaved again. She looked up frantically at Lin-san with a desperate look on her face – tears were brimming in her eyes, "Make the ants go away…"

Lin's head cricked around towards the entrance of the washroom to see Oliver peering in with a meaningful look on his face – that revelation had gathered his interest as he shared a look with Lin and nodded. A lot of things were conveyed in their brief glance and Lin moved forwards to grip Mai's arm.

"Ants…?"

"Yes! They're gathering in my stomach, but they won't come out!" she sobbed again, "Why's that happening?"

Comprehension dawned on Lin's face as he heard those words and motioned for Ayako to move away. Ayako obeyed and Lin moved in behind Mai to grip at her waist. He pressed his hand to her stomach and felt it rumbling slightly – he gave Oliver a meaningful look making Monk look at them suspiciously, but his query went unanswered as Lin turned back to Mai.

"Now, Mai…I'm going to exert pressure on your stomach. It'll be unpleasant at first but bear with me," Lin's quiet voice ruffled her hair as she nodded.

"Okay,"

Lin brought the other hand on her stomach and pressed at the bulge that was developing in her stomach. Mai let out a small yelp as she gripped at Lin's hands tightly. He pressed again making her retch into the toilet bowl. And this time something dripped from her mouth and Lin pressed again and this time she heaved spectacularly into the toilet bowl – closing her eyes against the pain. Ayako gasped as the substance felt Mai's mouth – this wasn't normal vomit.

"What _is _that?" Monk asked, horrified and disgusted. His eyes landed on Oliver who was looking at the substance with narrow eyes.

"Oh God…" Mai's voice was broken and weak and she felt Lin-san press her even more and she retched again – the putrid smell of burning plastic reached her nose – her throat felt rough and flaky and a foul taste of bad eggs burned in her mouth. She opened her mouth and looked down at the substance collected in the bowl, she stiffened – what should have been normal vomit was anything but. The substance was red in color and had the consistency of a jam with small white-like granules adorning it in places.

"Wha-what is th-that?" she looked around to Lin-san with wide eyes some of the substance trailing down her chin – she _did not _want to know what the thing tasted like…the taste of bad eggs was enough to make her sick again.

"Are you better now?" feeling her stomach for anymore gathering lumps and when he didn't anything he withdrew his hands slightly.

"Yes…but what is that? What kind of sickness do I have?" Mai's plea went unanswered when Oliver opened his mouth.

"It seems…you ate a rather lot of jam yesterday," Oliver sounded as though he was seriously thinking that was the cause of all of this.

Mai fumed, "You…who's asking you?"

"You don't need to worry…Takigawa-san will clean you up," Lin turned towards Ayako with a raised eyebrow. She looked away and mumbled softly.

"Of course, I will,"

"Good. I'll give you a sleep sedative so you can go to sleep,"

"Nobody answered my question, yet,"

"Later…. Well, if this is everything then I'll it up to you guys," Oliver's disinterested voice drawled through the air. He moved away from his perch and headed back to his office.

_That jerk!_

Mai was heaved onto the couch in Lin-san's office by Monk's help. Lin-san had given her a sedative so she could rest properly, and truth be told she couldn't have been happier to welcome the heavy sleep that fell on her senses.

_Mai opened her eyes. The first thing that she came to her mind was that it was warm. Everything was warm – it encompassed her like a protective glass as she sat up bleary eyed and sleepy. _

_She looked around, little lights flicking all around her and she blinked – she hadn't been here in awhile. Wondering vaguely as to what she could be doing here, she stood up. _

_Darkness encompassed her, but the warmth was a change. It was only now that felt that there was a change. She looked around – wondering if she should direct herself to someone's dream or not…_

_Thump, thump, thump…_

_Mai turned around at the sound of soft footfalls. She brought a hand to her eyes to see better in the distance. A black silhouette was making its way towards her. Her eyes widened as the features of the silhouette came into light. Mai's heart beat just went up a notch._

_Smiling serenely and benignly was none other then –_

"_Gene!" _

**A/N: Hey! Second case in the series of Love Bound, hope you liked this chapter…you know how to tell me *wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge***

**Anyways, I apologize for not posting the epilogue of the last case…but I **_**do **_**have most of it written out, so you'll be seeing it soon. And you guys don't need to worry – you aren't really missing much of the plotline because of the missing epilogue. **

**Anyways, I had two questions asking me whether Mai can neutralize Naru's ki and the answer is…yes, yes she can ^_^**

**Anyways, hope you stick with me…things are gonna get more interesting from now on. **

**P.S. I was thinking about rewriting the first chapter of the first case: The Seven Deadly Sins. I was going through it and I found it rather boring to read…though, it'll be just more background information then anything else…It won't be anything essential to the plot so those who don't want to read it AGAIN can skip out on it…**

**Stay Tuned! Read and Review! **

**Cheers! ^_^**


	2. Envy

**Love Bound:**

**Case 2:**

**Night Calling**

**Chapter 2:**

**Envy…?**

**March 10:**

This shouldn't be happening – it was inconceivable and unimaginable, a possibility that should never have arisen. And it was, gradually and impeccably, making him loose his mind. It was as if he was standing at the beach and a tide was reeling in, trying to engulf him in its impossibly ceaseless depths. And his heart would rear every time the tide came too close and he would step back only to have the tide come in again with increasing intensity.

People consider the ocean to be beautiful – he considered it to be superficial. 'Beautiful' was just a word to mask the _**true **_ugliness that lied underneath – a thing that had become mandatory for human beings. It was an excuse to entice one's senses to blindly follow it and to ignore the much heavier stench that flowed from beneath that elusive mask of 'beauty'. You could admire the beauty all you want, only to have that beauty hurl back at you in the shape of a cyclone or a tsunami.

To him beautiful meant nothing, a word that just _**existed **_and had nothing of importance in this world – only in people's minds and God's way of testing sin. He had had just too much experience in this field. He was handsome, he knew that and so did the others – and they _**all **_failed to see what lied beneath that. It was sort of unfortunate in a way, if he really thought about it – not that he was complaining or anything. The fact that he was handsome reeled in people that were shallow, who were looking to increase their own status.

The only person that was seemingly unfazed by his 'outer' beauty was – now be with me here people, he was trying very hard not to think of this particular person, but as luck would have, he could not run away from this thought (no matter what) –

Mai…

He heaved a frustrated sigh. Mai was the ocean that was reeling him in slowly and perfectly. The ocean that he had had in mind was seemingly mundane and somewhat deformed. It was slowly taking form and he was finding it increasingly hard to defy any possibilities that he might be attracted to her. The ocean that she had always presented in his life had always been small and there had been nothing to admire about it, but now –

Mai was slowly defying his definition of beautiful; he had first realized that fact when she had smiled brilliantly at him and he had been stunned for a second before he had strode into his office to calm his adrenaline rushed heart. Two weeks ago he had come to the fact that Mai _**was **_beautiful, he had had the whole night to think about her and he discovered treasures in those depths. For instance, he had never found her eyes captivating, but then she had started reeling him in and he had found that those emotion-expressive eyes were kind of, in a way, fascinating. It was because of those big, warm and beautiful eyes that he had started associating Mai as an ocean – they just held too much emotion and, unconsciously, he had started to identify each and every one of them. Delighting in the way how they would change with that certain light in them…and he would surely drown in them someday.

_**But, **_the fact that tugged at him hardest was her inner beauty. He had, in his whole life met both good and bad people – people with admirable qualities and people with awful qualities, and Mai was the best out of them. He knew the kind of qualities that she possessed – she was an exact balance of the thing that he failed miserably at.

Mai's bad qualities, he mused, included a clumsiness that she couldn't help, a loud mouth, a bad temper, her over-reactions, her slowness, the fact that she could trust people easily, her naivety, her childlike habits, the fact that she could be annoying (much like Gene), her nervousness, absent-mindedness, laziness, predictability, weak-will, and her urges to give into temptation. He _**hated **_these things about her in a way that he couldn't really help.

But then again, Mai's good-qualities were a long list of things that he didn't possess. She was caring, independent, loving, straight-forward, honest, jolly, forgiving, open-minded, appreciative, compassionate, friendly, considerate, generous, kind, loyal, humble, optimistic, sincere, indignant, charming, courageous, warm, supportive and a whole lot of other things that would have been tedious to mention. It was these qualities that were making him think in a way he normally wouldn't.

Meaning he was starting to like these qualities in a way that he knew he shouldn't. He had always admired and somewhat hated these qualities, but now –

He banged a frustrated fist on the desk. He _**couldn't **_think this way, she was his assistant and an assistant that could still be in love with his twin. Gene was everything that a girl would want, but _**him**_…

"_**One side has a good personality, the other doesn't. What would you choose?"**_

"_**The good personality," **_

There was nothing in him that Mai would like as something else. Thinking like this caused him pain – his heart would clench and unclench with the slightly stinging pain. The fact that Mai wouldn't like him was enough to make him see sense of his developing feelings, and he was trying to curb the ocean, but it wasn't happening. His lips turned down in a frown. She was already Gene's so he couldn't have her…

He couldn't have given her anything that she would have wanted – caresses and kisses, happiness and the feeling of being loved…

Having never been in a relationship before, the idea of intimacy and physical touch was uncomfortable to him. This alone should have discouraged his heart to withdraw and while it tried – the ocean was slowly taking over its advances.

_**He didn't want to be in love with her, it was just happening as though it were natural for him to find her attractive after five years of being unaffected by her presence…**_

And now, he was afraid – afraid of the fact that Mai could use him as a substitute for Gene. He would like to think that he was staying away for Mai's own good – to save her the pain of expecting Gene and getting him instead…but, in fact, he was being selfish in the fact that he wouldn't have to face the pain of expecting to be like his brother and failing at it miserably. And so he wouldn't have to face a thing that he was uncomfortable with.

His heart throbbed painfully – he didn't know what to feel anymore. His constant denials and ever-present attraction were messing with his head and heart. He didn't know what to do, expect ignore Mai and hope that this would help him overcome his growing feelings.

_**But he had yet to succeed…**_

There was also the problem of her growing powers, which, he was sure, was linked to _**their **_growing__psychical bond. Back at the Furukawa Mansion she had neutralized his ki without even having a clue about it. He had also, at one point in time, had read her mind – much like what he experienced with Gene. This little development had surprised him – not because of the contents of the thought (which was ordinary enough – Mai had been grumbling about his new-found withdrawal). He had blocked her out (having much practice at it) when he had first came upon the discovery. He had been quite curious about what she thought of him, but he was too damned prideful to do such a thing as explore her mind without her consent (admittedly, he also knew that she might be able to hear his thoughts as well if he kept up the connection).

_**She was becoming Gene…**_

All the more reason to stay away from her – he would not use someone as a substitute for his brother. For him nobody could replace Gene – not even Mai… he was afraid of letting Gene slide away from his being and he knew that he would hold onto it for the rest of his life...

As for her growing powers as a medium, he would have Lin train her for that. Her spiritual residue had been very thick, which was alarming on its own – her growing powers were going to waste. If this was kept up then Mai would loose her powers…

He had to inform Lin of that. He swiveled his chair around and stood up, stretching his legs and arms in the process. Opening the door to his office he was met with the Monk and Miko talking quietly together with worried expressions on their faces. They glanced up at him as he closed the door to his office. Ayako was about to speak to him, but he wasn't in the mood to answer their questions, so he shook his head and made his way over to Lin's office.

Entering the room, he saw Mai slumbering on the couch in the corner – there was a slight smile on her face. He looked away, his eyes landing on Lin who was typing away at his laptop. Feeling annoyed that his presence had gone unnoticed he cleared his throat slightly and spoke in an irritated way.

"Lin,"

The Chinese man stopped typing and looked around to see his young boss standing in the doorway. He raised his eyebrow at the irritated look on his face and noticed the tiny glance that he sent to his daughter-figure behind him.

"Is there something you want?"

"I thought that would have been obvious," he raised a cool eyebrow at him and crossed his arms leaning on the wall.

"Indeed. What is it?" Lin didn't stand up and he didn't take his fingers off the keyboard.

"Her, of course," he nodded in Mai's direction. Lin found it odd of him to address Mai as 'her'; normally he would have spoken her name. Disregarding the thought he spoke in a clear voice.

"You want me to train her, don't you?"

"Yes. You will do it,"

Lin nodded once, "It would be very useful if she turns into a perfect medium," Lin watched closely for his reaction and the only thing he got was a half-hearted nod and an unreadable expression, he heaved a small sigh. He turned around to face Mai, her face was etched in a small smile and he wondered briefly what she could be dreaming, "You expect her to master it?"

"I should think that you are reliable enough to make that happen,"

Lin raised his eyebrow at his non-belief in Mai's capabilities and vowed to teach the young boss a thing or two about trust.

"I will try my best,"

Oliver nodded, "Be sure, that I will be monitoring this," He turned around and was about to open the door when Mai's small voice froze him in place. An unbearable emotion shot through his body and his grip on the door knob tightened unconsciously, as he whipped around to look at Mai. His heart thudding in his head –

"_**Gene…" **_

Lin eyed the girl on the couch curiously – he had given her a dream-less sedative, but why was she dreaming and more specifically why was she dreaming about Gene? _**Unless… **_

He looked around to see the frozen black-haired man staring at Mai with dangerously narrowed eyes – tumbles of emotions were hidden behind those blank eyes…

_Mai watched with bated breath as the spirit made its way towards her. _

"_Hello, Mai. It's been a while," he smiled gently down at her, making her heart stutter pathetically. A number of emotions were hurtling through her and she was trying very hard to make sense of the situation. _

"_How – Why – You – back – Gene," Mai's words came out incoherent and weak and she felt herself flush in embarrassment – what was wrong with her? When Gene smiled down at her again, she felt that she would faint – Oh God! No!_

_She drew in a calming breath and shook her head, "Why are you back? Shouldn't you have moved on?" _

_Mai watched anxiously as the smile slid off of his face to be replaced by a slightly worried and confused look – how she wished that Oliver was that readable. _

"_Wh-what's wrong?" _

_Gene shook his head, "I'm not sure…" _

"_You're not sure…? But…how can that be…?" _

_Gene looked at the grown-up Mai with a fondness in his eyes as he replied, "I'm trying to figure that out…you shouldn't worry yourself about it," _

_Mai looked at him in surprise, "But, I can't help but worry and Naru…" _

_Mai found herself blushing unconsciously and she looked away from Gene – feeling awkward. _

_Gene sighed, "Noll's not a kid, Mai. He must be able to handle this type of thing…" _

_Mai fidgeted, clasping her hands together and playing with her fingers, "Even if it is like that…I can't help but think that he won't like it," _

_Gene patted her head and she looked up at him owlishly, causing him to smile sweetly down at her, "I'll handle him…There's no reason for a girl like __**you**__ to handle __**that **__kind of thing," _

_Mai smiled slightly, "Gene…" _

_Gene looked at her, "What is it?" _

_Mai blushed and smiled at him, "I missed you," _

_Gene smiled, "I did too," _

_Mai looked surprised and hollered loudly, "You __**did?**__"_

_Gene burst out laughing causing Mai to have goose bumps – not a good sign, "Of course, is there no reason for me to miss you?" _

_Mai looked sheepish but didn't reply. _

"_Anyways, what's been happening these…how long has it been?" _

_Mai stared wide-eyed at him, "You don't know…?" _

_Gene looked thoughtful for a moment before replying, "I've been asleep a long time…so much that I've lost track of things and not to mention that time runs differently here," _

_Mai studied him for a moment, "…Five years…I thought you could have told that by looking at me," _

_A mischievous smile made its way to his face, "Indeed, I should have known that when I found you much more attractive then before," _

"_Gene!" Mai yelled embarrassedly, her face turning a bright red…it was natural of boys to say that about her and though she had always been pleased about the fact – this time it caused her to be completely embarrassed. Mai looked away in shame – this shouldn't be happening, she was in love with Oliver. She had been convinced that she had chosen him, but now, didn't her racing heart and tsunami-like emotions tell her differently? Without meaning to, Mai felt tears slide down her face – what was she going to do now? She was right back to where she was all those five years ago, but this wasn't a simple crush anymore…this meant everything to her and now – now she was confused…__**again. **_

"_Mai…?" Gene asked worriedly, noticing her tears. _

_Mai smiled at him and shook her head, "I'm sorry…I'm just glad that you're back…" she wiped her tears away and put on a smile…_

_Gene couldn't help but feel that something was off, but he didn't press the girl, instead he asked, "So how is SPR going?" _

"_Oh! We've been going great! There hasn't been a case that we haven't solved," she replied in a cheerful voice. _

"_That's good…any advances between people?" _

_Mai perked up at the question, "Oh yes! Lin and Madoka are having a baby!" _

_Gene looked surprised, "They got married?" _

"_Yes they did! And Monk and Ayako also tied the knot," Mai danced happily on the balls of her feet, "And Yasuhara and Masako are dating," _

"_It's good to see that you've created bonds within your group," _

_Mai nodded vigorously, but then she grew serious, "What about on your side?" _

_Gene shrugged, "I've been dormant for best the part until…I don't know how long ago but it's been awhile since I've been awake,"_

"_It is…? Then why didn't you contact earlier?" _

_Gene looked slightly troubled as he answered, "I tried…but, it was proving to be difficult,"_

"_Why?" Mai asked anxiously. _

_Gene hung his head and shook it, "I don't know," _

"_I see…" _

_Gene perked up at the sudden silence, "So what's been happening with you?" _

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Your powers…"_

"_Oh," Mai dead-panned, "I guess I've been exorcising and cleansing for awhile…"_

"_That's good," _

"_You think so…?" _

"_Yeah," _

_Mai smiled, "Also…"_

"_Yes?" _

"_I encountered a wandering spirit on the street, today," _

_Gene looked slightly pained, "You cleansed it?" _

"_Yes…but, I've never encountered a spirit outside of work before…so, that' strange," _

_Gene frowned, "Anything else?" _

_Mai looked up at him with a frown, "Yeah…but, I'm not sure if it has anything to do with my powers or not," _

_Gene touched her shoulder gently, "What is it?" _

"_This morning…I got sick," she sighed and casted her eyes down on her feet before replying, "But, it wasn't normal vomit that I coughed up," she looked up at him when his hold on her shoulder tightened slightly. When he didn't reply, she continued, "It was red and the consistency of jam with white granules," _

_Gene dropped her shoulder with a sigh. Mai studied his slightly pained face with worry._

"_What is it…?"_

_Gene shook his head with a small smile, "Nothing…You should go back now. I'll see you later," _

"_Okay," she smiled at him._

"_Good-bye, Mai," he waved his hand at her. _

"_Good-bye," _

_Gene turned and started walking away – taking the warmth with him. _

Mai's eyes fluttered open. The first thing she saw was a pair of frowning dark-blue eyes staring back at her. Mai gasped, "Naru!"

The eyes moved away from her to allow her space to sit up. Mai rose gingerly, looking around to see Lin-san standing near Oliver with a frown on his face.

"What?" Mai began; the ice-chilly glare that Oliver was giving her was enough to tell her that she had been muttering in her sleep. How much did he hear?

"You were talking…in your sleep," Oliver's colder then usual tone of voice made her flinch.

"And…?" she stated a little nervously.

"You were muttering…my _**brother's **_name," Sarcasm dripped from his voice and his eyes had a cruel glint in them.

Mai paled, her heart thudding painfully – Gene said that he'll handle this, so what was she supposed to say to Oliver?

Mai looked away sadly, "I" – she broke off when she felt her wrist being gripped tightly – she looked up at Oliver in shock. Mai swallowed hard, "He's…back, I'm sorry…"

Oliver dropped her wrist and turned away from her, striding out of Lin-san's office at a fast pace.

"Naru…" Mai made to follow him, but Lin-san held her back with shake of his head.

"No Mai, this is something that he has to handle on his own,"

Mai let out a miserable sigh as she fell back on the sofa.

She couldn't help but feel that there was something awfully off about Oliver…

Oliver banged an angry fist on the desk, causing it to shake slightly. His teeth were bared and sweat trailed down his face. This was too painful – much more then he would have ever anticipated. It was irrational; he was feeling certain resentment towards Gene.

He was breathing heavily, trying to master his emotions and to control his powers. Mai had always loved Gene and he knew that – but his return, the fact that she'd be with him and that he'd be with her was causing his heart to clench with pain.

No, he couldn't think or act this way – he just couldn't. They were both important people and he couldn't be jealous of Gene because of Mai. His developing feelings were nothing compared to the bond that he shared with Gene – he couldn't sacrifice that because of a _**girl**_. He'd be damned if he ever let that happen – but a part of him (the irrational part that had arisen with his attraction) would not hear of that excuse. He clutched his fists tightly – he had to put a stop to this nonsense and figure out why Gene was back.

_I'm sorry Gene…_

Mai felt as though someone had butchered her heart into a million pieces and abandoned it so that it could bleed to death – the pain was _**that **_intense. She had never felt so pathetic in her whole life – never. She felt angry, frustrated and most of all she felt hurt.

She had been so certain and so sure that she loved Oliver, but now – with Gene's return – that had changed. Was she really that pathetic that she couldn't tell her own feelings apart anymore? How could she have been fooled all these years? How could she have fooled herself that she indeed loved Oliver? Was she that shallow and that cheap? She really felt like that as she curled herself on her bed – sobs were raking her body continuously. She hit herself over the head for her own stupidity and carelessness. Oliver was right – he was always right – she _**was **_dense and an unbearable idiot.

Why couldn't she tell who she liked anymore? Why?

When she had first confessed Oliver had convinced her that she loved Gene instead, and she had believed him. Then she had witnessed the arousal of fresh emotions when Oliver had returned back to Japan and she had convinced herself that it was Oliver who she loved instead of Gene. And now with Gene's return she was stuck between the two.

Come to think of it she had never told him how she felt back then. Looking back on this fact she realized just how unlike it was of her to not tell him the truth – why hadn't she seen that before? Had her instincts stopped her making that mistake? Did her instincts know her much better then she did herself? Did her instincts know that she was still in love with _**both **_the twins? She guessed it did – her instincts had always helped her out and this was just one too many time.

Mai wiped her nose pathetically and glared up at the ceiling with tears leaking from her eyes. Maybe she didn't deserve to love them? _**How **_could she deserve to love them? She didn't even know who she liked over whom…she was just too confused.

First, there was Gene. He was so kind and so sweet, Mai found herself smiling in spite of herself. Humble and gentle, intelligent and funny, and his smile…how she loved that lovely smile of his. How he made her feel safe and warm with his mere presence, how he would cheer her up and it was so easy to smile right next to him. She really did love Gene, but –

Then there was Oliver, a narcissistic, cold-hearted, rude, proud and uncaring young man – the exact opposite of his twin brother. How she hated and loved him in one go. His good side, he did have one, was something that dearly loved because of its rarity. He could be caring if he wanted to, he _**caring, **_he just didn't like to show it. Mai knew that he did what he thought was right, even though she might not agree on it. But, in the end his well-balanced and well-thought-out plan could drown her irrational and rushed out plan that mainly harbored on the well-being of others.

Could these creatures ever love a pathetic and small girl like her? A girl who was so clumsy that she couldn't walk in a straight line without tripping on her own two feet? A girl who was so dense and so slow that she couldn't grasp the simplest of things? A girl who couldn't keep her emotions in check? A girl who spouted utter nonsense on complete strangers just for the sake of others? A girl that could be read so easily that it was boring? A girl who couldn't even tell who she liked – no, loved anymore? A girl who was twenty-one years of age but still held onto her teenage-self because she didn't want to grow up?

How could they love her, when loving two people wasn't acceptable? Mai literally felt that she was committing a sin by having this wave of emotions take over her. She felt tainted and dirty – so much that all she wished was to crawl underground and die of the shame.

They just _**could not **_love her. Gene was such an awesome person, graceful and tactful, how could someone like that ever return her feelings? Gene was a ladies man; surely he must have met much prettier and much likable young girls then her? How could he see anything special in her shallow self? How could he – just how could she ever expect him to return her feelings?

And then there was Oliver. A man who was so far ahead in intelligence and education then her that it could number in several years? How could a greatly capable and accomplished man like Oliver Davis ever see her more then a co-worker and a _**professional **_friend? They just didn't match at all – surely Oliver could see that and he didn't want to waste his time with her – because they might never be able to work out in a relationship even if they tried. They were opposites in every way possible – they worked in different ways, they thought in different ways, they saw life in different ways, and there grasping of situations were in complete opposite ways. _**They were polar opposites… **_despite that he could also make her feel secure and protected. She would cherish that small smile of his as though it was worth the light of a thousand suns. Perhaps he couldn't make her smile that Gene was so capable of doing, but he could rile her up in a way that she had sincerely started to love.

Mai bit her quivering lips – they could never see eye-to-eye, not Oliver…not Gene. The people who mattered could never see her like that – never. But still her heart thudded with the roaring emotions that were causing her so much so agony.

It might never matter to them, but it mattered to her. But she was chained to them, for what she knew would be an eternity, one of them would tug on the chains and she lurch towards them only to have another tug on the chains and she would stumble in the opposite direction – it was an agonizing game of ping-pong.

Only time would tell who she would choose and she hoped with all her heart that she wouldn't stay love bound between the two of them…

**SPR:**

**March 11:**

**09:00am:**

They had a client. It was a miracle that he had chosen to even see this middle-aged couple who owned a traditional holiday home near an isolated forest of all places. They had picked the house because of its location, apparently they were great lovers of the outdoors and there was a small lake near it, which was one of the attractions that had drawn them to the house. Apparently, they had had several workers and maids that were working to make the house in a more livable condition. One day, more specifically, one week ago, one of their male workers went missing after he had ventured out to the forest to collect some wood that had been chopped up earlier that day. He had been missing for twenty-four hours before they had called in the police and had done a wide-spread search of the whole forest. He was no where to be found – not even his body. They had not found any signs of a struggle, a kidnapping, or any signs that might have told them that he had passed through the area _**at all. **_

It made Mai feel slightly nauseous and the look of disinterest on Oliver's face to change to that of seriousness. But what made Oliver seem convinced was the fact that the whole household had witnessed a fog of spirits that weren't 'really there'. While Mai had been slightly confused by the pronouncement, it seemed, without a doubt that Oliver had understood the term. He ended up expecting the case.

They would begin investigation in two days and with Monk, Yasuhara, Lin-san, John and Masako going along for the ride. Ayako and Madoka would be staying back here because of Madoka's condition. Their house was a one hour drive away from their office.

And for some reason Mai couldn't help but shiver in discomfort…

**A/N: Hey! Chapter two is up! Hope you like it…**

**Anyways, I've challenged myself…that is, if you guys give me a total number of ten reviews (that means 7 new reviews) then I will *drum roll*…write the next chapter with 10,000 words! Great, eh? =D0**

**You know what to do…You could tell me how I did with Oliver's emotions…and whether my writing has improved since the first case, because I do feel like it has improved somewhat. So, tell me will ya'? **

**Anyways…stay tuned and don't forget to read and review! ^_^**

**Cheers! =)**


	3. Essence

**Love Bound:**

**Case 2: Night Calling**

**Chapter 3:**

**Essence:**

**A/N: THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO EVERY ONE OF MY READERS (reviewers and non-reviewers) – so you better give me lots of reviews in return…hehehehe ^_^ **

**Special dedication to every Reviewer…especially Kekedia, who reviews for every chapter! Yay for Kekedia! *Hands out sweets and chocolates to every one* ^_^**

**Now, on with the chapter!**

**SPR:**

**March 10:**

**10:00pm:**

"Why are you back?" Oliver's voice rang throughout the room as he gazed into the eyes of his dead twin brother in the mirror. Oliver had chosen this time and hour so that he could have the privacy. The now younger-looking replica of him gazed back with those soft eyes that were alighted with the reunion. A small smile played on his lips as he extended a hand in greeting.

"Where are you manners, you idiot?" Gene asked in a mock stern voice, "We meet after five years and _this _is how you greet me?"

Oliver crossed his arms and glared at Gene, "You might have time for such _**things**_…now, tell me why you're back?"

Gene laughed, "Same as ever, I see. But, I was hoping for a much _**warmer**_welcome after my five year demise…couldn't hurt to show some love for your own brother, could you?"

Oliver's lips pulled down in a frown, "I'm not discussing something that is obvious to the both of us" –

Gene smiled, "In other words…you don't like to show that you care about me,"

"Gene," Oliver glared pointedly at him, he _**wasn't**_in a mood for his brother's antics. Gene sighed giving up the pretext and looked up at his brother with sad eyes.

"I'm sorry…it must be hard on you,"

Oliver sighed and waved his hand carelessly, "We both know that this isn't your fault,"

Gene pursed his lips as he gazed into the unusually soft eyes of his brother, "I know…but, I'm not sure why I woke up after all these years of being dormant,"

Oliver sighed, he knew it would be something like that, but he had overestimated his brother's knowledge of the afterlife. He tightened his hand on his arm and frowned deeply. The only reason he could be back was if he had some unfinished business left here in this world…

"You're here because your murderer wasn't found," Oliver frowned in displeasure…whoever this person was…was not going to have an easy life from now on. This person will never be forgiven for its heinous crime – never.

"Maybe…" Gene trailed off, gazing seriously at the man before him who had tensed up at the idea. Gene knew just how much bringing this person to justice would mean for his brother. Unfortunately, justice would not be enough to satisfy his brother's mind…or heart. He knew that in the light of his return, Oliver could only see this option – which was more likely then any other he had come up during his consciousness. But not conveying his theories to his brother would be a foolish act.

"Also…" Gene began, gazing at his brother with an unusual seriousness. Oliver looked up at him as he said those words.

"You have other theories to your return. I doubt that they could be as serious as the aforementioned one,"

If Gene could have touched him, he would have slapped him on his arm. He rolled his eyes and continued, "Hear me out, will you?"

When Oliver didn't reply, Gene took it as a sign to continue. Gene knew how much his brother liked to look at things from every angle – so he wasn't bound to miss out on this. If he could still breathe he would have taken in a long breath before starting. Some joys of life never existed here, he reflected sadly.

"I might be here because of Mai's growing abilities," Gene blinked as he watched his brother's reaction to Mai's name…his eyes seemed to darken and he closed off for a moment, causing him to frown at the latter. What was going on through that head of his? He raked his brother's brain but found it blocked out.

"What aren't you telling your own brother, Noll?" Gene's voice came out low and accusatory. Oliver seemed to falter a bit but regained himself and gazed indifferently at him.

"It's nothing of importance…now about your theory, why do you think that it's like that?"

Gene frowned, whatever held his brother's agitation wouldn't remain in the dark forever, so he let it drop for now.

"What I was stating earlier was that it could be because of Mai's growing abilities," he paused before continuing, "I'm saying this because we have a certain connection because of our powers. Since Mai's powers have been growing surprisingly fast over the last three months – she might have, without meaning to, called me here,"

Oliver had a blank expression while he had been listening to his brother and now frowned in thought, "You do realize what kind of power that would require?"

Gene smiled bitterly, "Quite a large amount, actually,"

Oliver nodded in agreement, "Did she tell you about her ectoplasm?"

"Yeah, she mentioned it. She was confused because of that…"

Oliver lapsed into thought again, "Could it be that her powers called you on? Because she needs training, now that she can become a perfect medium,"

Gene shrugged, "That's a more probable cause – calling me on purpose would need consciousness and a strong intent. It could also be her instincts that could have compelled her to do it – maybe her instincts knew that without guidance she might lose her powers…"

"Or," Oliver began with a curious light in his eyes, "Maybe her instincts had grown too attached to her, they _are _apart of one being after all. It might have acted on the impulse of severing contact from each other…it's a very interesting theory,"

Gene laughed, "I would never have believed you to say something so sentimental. What's gotten into you?"

Oliver ignored his statement and continued on, "It is highly likely. If Mai loses a part of her being, wouldn't that be totally wrong?"

Gene's eyes softened as he heard those words, "Indeed…I would never have expected you to say something of the sort,"

Oliver shrugged and looked away. It wouldn't be good if Gene found out about this attraction of his. He wouldn't want to make him more confused and sad as he already was.

Gene's eyes grew with worry as another thought struck his mind – if, suppose that Mai was the cause of this phenomena then wouldn't his brother take it exactly like that? Meaning that he might hold a grudge against Mai – he couldn't let that happen.

"Noll…"

Gene's voice made Oliver look up into the worry-filled eyes of his brother, "What is it?"

"I know what you're thinking…and this is in no way Mai's fault. She didn't even know that she was doing it – to blame her for my return wouldn't be right,"

A humorless smirk made its way onto Oliver's face – of course he knew that it would be like this, but it still caused a certain twang in him, like a bell being rung… "You're being rather protective of her, aren't you?"

Gene blinked in surprise, not only was his answer unexpected but the bitter tone underlying his expressionless voice was also surprising – what's he thinking right now?

"Noll…what's wrong?" Gene tried again to read his brother's mind, but it was still blocked – anger bubbled through him as he glared down at his brother, "Hiding it isn't going to do any good, Noll. What is it that you have against Mai? If you aren't going to tell me then I'll force myself into your mind – and we both know the consequences of that," his voice was serious and harsh and Oliver wouldn't put it past him to do something as rash that.

His eyes flickered over to the fuming twin in defiance, "Nothing against her…" and for the second time he seemed to falter. Gene being ready on the second go, grasped at the words and memories that was his brother's mind. He rushed through his mind aggressively when he felt resistance come on, but he plunged on until he came to thousands of images containing Mai. This discovery caused him to quell slightly and he felt himself hurtling out of Oliver's mind at his moment of weakness.

Gene stared sadly at his brother's shaking form; his fists were clenched so tightly that it drew out blood – he was angry. But, Gene didn't think that the anger was directed at him…

"Noll…I" –

He didn't get to finish as Oliver's cold voice cut through the air like shattering glass.

"Goodnight, Gene," Oliver moved away – his fists now clenched tightly to his sides.

"Noll, wait!" –

Oliver walked away from the mirror as though he hadn't heard Gene's words. Gene felt himself sliding away to the dark plane that he had become so accustomed to. He cursed loudly – the image of a serenely smiling Mai stuck in his head.

_Noll, you idiot…_

Oliver fell on the bed without a change of clothes. He put his right arm over his eyes; his lips were quivering in a frown. He bit them from trembling – what a blunder he's made. And he'll be up all night, thinking about this and…_her. _

She's just a clumsy and a lazy young woman – how could he find her special? A girl who was so dense that she couldn't grasp the simplest of things in this world? A girl who cares so much about people that it becomes reckless? A girl who's so indignant that it's ridiculous? A girl who's so loud and obnoxious that it's beyond annoying? A girl who counters him in every way possible? A girl who couldn't keep her emotions and her tongue in control? A girl who could be read so easily that she wasn't even worth looking at? A girl who was so immature that you just wanted to beat your head about it?

Oliver felt his chest tighten – _ridiculous. _As hard as he might try, he could no longer ignore the reasons why he was starting to like her. If Mai hadn't been all these things – she wouldn't have been Mai. She was obnoxious and graceful in one go. And he hardly understood her at all.

He was drawn to the things that he couldn't understand about her. He couldn't understand why she deemed it so necessary to risk her own life to protect others – this went beyond reason. He couldn't understand how she could have the heart to forgive people so easily and so readily? He couldn't understand why she was so optimistic and happy when the burdens that she faced were much more then that of an average person? He couldn't understand why she needed to voice out judgments against things that had grown so common that everybody neglects to notice them? He couldn't understand how she could love so many people and so sincerely? He couldn't understand why she saw life as beautifully as she did.

It was these things – the things that told him who Mai _really _was. She was so simple to read and yet so hard to understand. So what was he supposed to do?

…

_Oliver was walking beside a field of yellow Daffodil flowers. The sky was a midnight blue and a full moon hung in the sky like a sparkling silver jewel. A cool breeze danced with the flowers – his hair swaying alongside it in harmony. The smell of the Daffodils was enticing and highly familiar, but he couldn't remember where he might have smelled this wonderful smell before. This field of Daffodils fell into a vast, serene, deep-blue ocean on the left side. The sound of the ocean breathing calmly and gently was soothing and endearing in a very unusual way that he couldn't really describe. _

_This place was beautiful…_

_The dirt path that rested beneath his bare feet lead out into eternity…. And he could just make out a ghostly figure making its way towards him. He couldn't really tell what it looked like, except that it was white – a pure white. Without meaning to, he felt his feet move over the soft dirt and towards the mysterious figure that captivated him for a strange reason. _

_Every presence of this mystic place resounded in his head like a bird song and there was nothing else that he could think. The feeling of being whole and complete grew stronger as he neared the figure. Walking resolutely and assuredly, he knew that no harm could befall him as long as he was here and free of the troubles of the real world. _

_His dark blue eyes moved over the figure when a spark struck in them when he saw who the approaching figure was – Mai. Smiling serenely and happily, her hands clasped behind her back as she bounced lightly on the balls of her feet. His eyes travelled over her before his eyes searched for hers and he stopped – Mai closed the distance between them. Her eyes were a sparkling clear-brown that expressed nothing but delight and happiness at finding her charge. Her curtain of brown hair was swishing with the breeze and he had a sudden urge to trail his fingers through it. _

_Mai smiled warmly as his hand trailed through her hair. It was soft, warm and silky – a little rough in places, but he loved it none-the-less. Curiosity lighted up in his heart as he gazed wordlessly into her sparkling eyes. He was about to speak when he found himself drifting away from her. Knowing he couldn't do anything about it, he fell back and gazed at the drifting away Mai – her hand held out to him and a warm smile adorning her glowing face – inviting him for a next time…_

**March 11:**

**06:30am:**

Oliver's eyes fluttered open. He was staring up at the ceiling of his room. A pinkish-golden light filtering through his window told him that it was dawn. He could hear the low chirps of early morning birds and his mind drifted off to his dream.

_A Dream…_

That was what it had been – a simple dream. He let out a heavy breath; he could clearly hear the strong pounding of his heart. It was a different feeling from the dull pain that he had started associating with Mai. It was pleasant and warm and it made his stomach flutter oddly – looks like he won't be eating anything today.

His lips puckered up in confusion as he felt a dull pain was taking over his small moment of euphoria. The hand that had trailed through Mai's hair was tingling slightly. Her smiling face obscured his vision as he closed his eyes tightly.

_In that moment the time stopped and he found himself falling into the ocean that he had seen in his dream. His back was arched gracefully and his arms were stuck out in front of him as he fell over the cliff in slow motion. He could feel himself travelling through the cool breeze and into the depths of the ocean, head-first. _

Oliver opened his eyes – was it worth fighting this temptation, when he knew that he would fall no matter what? When had it ever come to be like this? Why was this happening on its own? Weren't these types of things done voluntarily? Was love really that fickle? Questions…these were questions that had run through his mind a thousand times already.

_And he didn't have any answers for them… _

There had never been something that he couldn't accomplish when he set his mind to it. But Mai was off-limits since his brother and Mai were in love; this made him feel aggravated that he was developing feelings for the girl that his own brother loved. This raised another question – did he really want or need Mai? The answer was no, he didn't need her nor did he want her – she could offer love and devotion, and these things weren't what he needed. He was used to doing things on his own, even when Gene was alive he didn't need his help. Companionship had no use in his life.

Despite this, could he ignore his feelings for eternity? From how things were looking – he was losing this battle, could he just keep on ignoring?

Would his emotions die out? He had no idea how love worked – only that there were a lot of struggles, pains and tragedies in this area. However, seeing his friends being in love, could he really say that?

He didn't know – he was after all a fool who couldn't understand human nature, least of all love. He knows, though, why he had avoided touching her. He had harbored a sexual tension with her – a thing that had never been returned on his part in other situations. It was highly distracting and it made him uncomfortable while he thought over her physical aspects. Her skin and her face being the soul point of his focus.

There had been a time, not so long ago, that he had found his eyes travelling down her legs – to say that he had been embarrassed on this would be an understatement. It was because of this incident that he had started avoiding her hand…and the rest of her.

To say that it didn't hurt would be a lie. It did hurt and in a way that he hadn't ever experienced before. Could he live a single life while being in love? To look that far in the future would be foolish, he knew that already. This was just a 'simple' attraction, maybe he was just exaggerating.

Would this cause any problems for him and Mai as just friends? Yes, yes they would. He had reached a certain point in their relationship from where he couldn't go back. Did he resent that? A tiny bit, yes. No matter what, Mai had to submit and accept the change without being informed.

_What a problem this has become… _

**SPR:**

**11:00am:**

Mai sat Indian style on the floor; her back was straight and taut and her eyes were closed, her arms were stretched out in front of her, her hands resting on her knees in an 'o'. Mai suppressed a yawn with difficulty – this was very boring. Mai shook her head.

_Focus…focus…_

_How did she get here, anyways?_

Mai's current position was deemed well-over one hour ago by Lin-san and Oliver. The client had had just left and she had been meaning to do a clean-up of the SPR office when she had been cornered by Lin-san. He had told her to sit down and she had complied with much nervousness and confusion.

Lin-san had then mentioned her getting sick the previous day – hearing that she had perked up and started bouncing up and down in her seat slightly. He had told her that the thing that she spewed out was her 'ectoplasm' – a term used in Parapsychology to describe a substance that leaks from a medium during a trance. It was due to this substance that spirits could take on a form and speak or communicate with the rest of the world – poltergeists were caused by this phenomenon.

Mai had been confused by that statement, saying that poltergeists were caused by PK users and not ESPers. Lin-san explained that there were varying degrees of ectoplasm, each one being unique to each psychic according to their spiritual or PK power.

Mai had also asked that she wasn't in a trance when she had started feeling the ants in her stomach. In retaliation Lin-san had said that it wasn't necessary for a medium to be in a trance to produce ectoplasm. It could also be due to contact with a spirit without a trance. Since that happened with Mai, it seemed very clear that she would release her ectoplasm sooner or later.

This pronouncement followed another confused question from Mai. It being that she had come in contact with spirits before, so why did she release her ectoplasm only then? Lin-san had said that this had been so because of her tremendously growing powers. Before now, she had been a medium-leveled medium; she could sometimes sense a spirit, or smell it, but she hadn't been as strong as Masako, who could see them as well.

But, since her power had been growing without any of their knowledge, it would have been only a matter of time till it got out of hand and showed its self to them.

Lin had also mentioned that she had the potential to be a perfect medium and should, therefore, be given proper training and guidance. If she didn't train and learn control of her powers she would, eventually, lose her power to preying spirits wanting to feed off of it. This would mean that she would also lose a part of her being – leaving her incomplete and unfinished. This may not have any effect on her living self, except she wouldn't be able to access her powers anymore; it would, however, greatly affect her after life. The loss of her being would result her in becoming a lost and wondering spirit looking to complete that one part of its being that it had lost during its life. She would be like the other spirits and eventually she would become evil – a result that should be prevented if it could be.

Lin-san had warned her that since she was instable at the moment, she might not be able to access her powers as easily and readily as she had been able to do. It was very much like a light switch and would eventually 'heal' itself when she learned control.

She had then been ordered by Oliver to train everyday with Lin-san. Which lead her to where she was right now – meditating with Lin-san.

Meditating, as told by Lin-san, involved seven chakras or center points connected with different parts of her body. The typical posture of meditation allows the individual to focus on each chakra and then becoming 'one' with that. These seven chakras were in her ankles, her lower abdomen, her upper abdomen, her chest, her neck, her forehead and a point above her head.

The lowest chakra in her ankles represented her 'ego'. She had to lower her ego and self-importance if she was to reach the point above her head – the higher being of herself. Mai's cosmos or ki was required to flow through these chakras with a certain frequency. This frequency was achieved by self-control and the amount of power that one has.

Her cosmos or ki was a part of her 'being'. 'Beings' were unique to every individual and compromised of several things. It was due to these beings that we take on a specific personality. These several things include a flower, an animal, a color, and two types of smells: one smell belonging to the specific flower and the other is belonging to their 'natural smell'.

"Focus, Mai," Lin-san's sharp voice cut through the air and Mai opened her eyes in surprise to see Lin-san glaring down at her.

"Eh? What?" she tilted her head in confusion, her back going limp on its own. Lin-san sighed.

"Stay focused. Try to center all your attention on your ankles, like I said. Focus your energy there and release it when you have gathered enough energy,"

"Right. Sorry,"

Mai heaved a breath and closed her eyes, trying to get in touch with her ki reserve. She steadied her breaths, breathing slowly and deeply. She could feel the back of her mind tingling slightly as she tried to concentrate on the ki reserve that she might hold.

Mai was having trouble with diminishing her thoughts. Every now and then a random thought would surge through her mind and she would grasp at it unintentionally, distracting her from the task at hand.

After a few moments of random thinking, she peeled one eye open to look at Lin-san. She could see him staring at her with observance. It looked like he knew just what was going on through that head of hers, but failed to comment on it. Mai wondered why that would be though – she scoffed at her own stupidity. It must be obvious for first-timers to have random thoughts just like her. She closed her eyes once again – her head buzzing with her latest discovery.

She drew in a long breath, straightening her back once more. To reach her reserve she had to keep conscious of her mind and body. She tried a new tactic instead of just waiting for it to come to her. She called up on her reserve. Concentrating on trying to feel it – at least she'll have one thought like this.

For a few moments she tried to search for it, until she felt something light up in the back of her mind. Her interest picked up, she drew towards the pink glow of the light. As it grew larger and larger she could make out a distinct smell of Daffodils and growing warmth that harbored on hot. Underlying the smell of Daffodils she could make out another smell – the smell of cinnamon and sweet wildflowers. She felt tranquility engulf her as she embraced the pink glow with open arms.

She was standing amidst a field of raging fire. Despite it being common for fires to be associated with rage and fury, this fire held something different about it – it was _**friendly.**_ This fire radiated happiness and a fury of emotions – it was very overwhelming but instead of being scared she felt _**complete **_– this was her being. The fire seemed to be diminishing and she looked around confused as she found herself in an altogether different terrain.

Water – she was standing in pink-tinged, Daffodil floating water. She didn't get to see much of this as something chirped nearby and a surge of electricity hit her in the back of her mind. She gasped as she clutched at her head. She was doused with something cold as she went sprawling on her back.

She lay in something wet as she tried to make sense of the situation. A slight flutter beside her cheek made her tickle and she scrunched her eyes against the feeling. Her head was still hurting.

"Mai…" Lin-san's calm voice made her open her eyes. The first thing she saw was a trail of brown and pink glitter in the air and a small winged creature was making that pretty colors – a hummingbird.

Mai sat up confused and dazed as the darkness fell away from her eyes.

"Ow," she clutched her head as she gazed around the office.

Apparently the vision that she had seen had come back with her into this world. The whole office was flooded with pink-tinged water with Daffodils adorning it in places. The scent of the Daffodils as well as the cinnamon and sweet wildflowers radiated throughout the office. She felt a warm and soft something nudged her on the side of her face. She looked at what had touched her and almost melted at the sight before her.

A darling little hummingbird with a pink throat and a brown body was hovering near her face, looking just as confused as she felt. Its glitter trailed in the air and vanished into nothingness. Forgetting her confusion for the moment, Mai couldn't help but squeal in delight, causing the bird to chirp happily beside her.

"Lin-san, how did this bird get here?" she turned around to look at him to see that he was gazing at her with certain softness in his eyes.

"It's your animal representative. You lost control of your power, so you projected the water and the bird into this world,"

"Ah…A hummingbird…huh?" she gazed at the bird with fondness in her eyes. To think that such a cute little thing represented her…her heart swelled with joy, "So how do we get rid of the water?"

Lin-san waved his hand away, "We'll have it done. Before that I should tell you the uses of your animal representative,"

"It has uses?"

"Naturally, it is a part of your power. This little bird will not be an ordinary pet – it represents everything that you are as a person and a being. It lives off your spiritual energy and takes form by that as well – if it dies then it can be revived if you use your power to do so," he smiled slightly, " Also," –

Just then the door creaked open and Mai looked round to see Oliver entering the room with a very displeased expression on his face – he was soaking wet, there were even a couple of Daffodils stuck in his ebony hair.

"Ah…Naru," Mai began nervously; the hummingbird was perched on top of her head as it gazed at Oliver with those shinning eyes.

"What is going on here?" his voice was ice-cold and his glare was severe. Mai was about to speak when Lin-san's voice cut through the air.

"Mai lost control of her powers; it's natural for a first time. In result she projected her being representatives here," he gave Oliver a meaningful look. Oliver stared coldly down at Lin before his eyes sidled over to Mai's delighted form as she spoke up in a cheerful voice.

"Naaarruuuu, look at my hummmingbird, isn't it wonnderfulll?" her voice was sing-song and she bounced on her feet to show just how excited she was. Oliver narrowed his eyes down at her and said in a sneering voice.

"A hummingbird(1)? I thought a _**monkey**_(2) would have suited you better," a small smirk pulled at his lips as he saw Mai deflate at his words visibly.

Mai raised her clenched fists up at him and yelled loudly, "Who're you calling a _**monkey**_, you condescending hyena(3),"

"Or maybe a rhino(4) would have been much better," he acted as though he hadn't heard her words. Being attracted to Mai or not, he always loved teasing her. Perhaps some things might never change in their relationship.

"A rhino! Why you big idiot, do you have any right to call me that?" Mai stomped her foot angrily, making the hummingbird flutter away from her for a second before it flew over to where Oliver stood with his hand on the door knob. Oliver watched with lazy eyes as it fluttered nearer to him. It chirped slightly before it perched itself in his hair and picked at one of the Daffodils stuck in his hair. Oliver waved it away as Mai's angry voice cut through the air.

"Kohana! Stay away from the big bad hyena! Come on back over here," Mai yelled to the little bird. Kohana was the name that she had thought suited the jewel bright bird which literally meant little flower. Mai watched as Kohana made its way back over to her with the flower in its beak. She settled back in Mai's hair while dropping the flower in her hair. Mai motioned for Oliver to go away, instead of compiling to Mai's wishes; he strode into the office as though he _**owned **_the place. Mai pushed away the contradictory thought that came inside her head after this pronouncement – he _**did **_own the place.

Mai glared pointedly at him and repeated in a slow and condescending voice, "I thought I just told you to _**leave**_. What? Can't hear me now?"

Oliver raised an eyebrow coolly down at her as he watched her from the corner of his eyes, "I don't think you understand the _**position **_that you are in right now, Mai," he said that with as much a condescending tone he could muster – which would beat Mai's own version at any given time, "_**I'm **_the boss over here, not you. Have you ever heard of an employee ordering his _**boss **_around?" he didn't wait for an answer or her reaction, but swiftly turned towards Lin, "Make sure this _**mistake**_ doesn't happen again,"

Lin sighed. In the background Mai could be heard raging loudly, but Oliver ignored her words.

"Say that to my face! Say it to my face! You can't say it, can you?" Mai looked ready to beat the pulp out of him, but Oliver couldn't have cared less what the girl _**physically **_does to him. Traitorously and undeniably, his mind trailed over all the things that the girl _**could **_do to him if he allowed her to. Her hand cupping his face and the other trailing through his hair – he suppressed a shiver and fought to keep the heat below his neck. (5)

Lin raised an eyebrow at the suddenly tensed up young man before him and curiously eyed the hint of red that had begun to rise in his neck. His eyes, however, were the same unemotional orbs as ever. The effect was ruined somewhat by the Daffodil that was still stuck in his hair and Lin couldn't have been gladder that he had gotten a face full of Mai-smelling water.

Oliver turned around and swiftly walked away from the room, not minding the still hollering Mai that was stomping after him, to beat him up…and Mai was loving every moment of it. Love really did work in a strange way. As she was hollering and generally being angry, she didn't notice the small glance that he passed her from the corner of his eyes – his eyes softening just a _**tad **_bit. Mai also didn't notice Kohana fly away after Oliver. Her beak was hidden in his hair. It was only natural that the bird that was a part of Mai's being would also be attracted to the King of Narcissisms.

After cleaning the office free of the Mai-water, Lin sat her down and explained what Kohana meant. Mai was highly fascinated by the bird and was delighted when she found out that she could keep the bird. Lin-san told her that Kohana would be a guardian of sorts – a spiritual guardian and that it might prove easier for her to control her power as long as she remained beside her. Kohana would be able to act as a barrier against malignant and evil spirits, after Mai learned how to do it.

Lin-san told her that spiritual energy must be constantly given to her if the desired effect is to be reached. Fortunately, since Kohana was a little bird, she wouldn't take up as much spiritual energy as bigger animals would have done. There was also the fact that she would be able to take Kohana anywhere and everywhere and not look weird or strange to the passer-bys.

This proclamation had given entry to a solo riding Monk and Yasuhara, who had dropped in for a visit. Ayako was still with Madoka and wouldn't be returning until Lin-san was beside her side.

"Hello…?" Monk called out, his voice deflating at the empty office, "Mai-chan?"

Monk looked puzzled around when no reply came from his sister. He looked over at Yasuhara with a quizzical look, "Is she not in today?"

Yasuhara looked thoughtfully around the office and grinned evilly, "Perhaps, she's in Shibuya-san's office," he cleared his throat lightly and grinned even more widely, "And since it's so unusually quiet in here…maybe…they're doing _**things **_they shouldn't be doing," he clapped his hands pleasantly together and laughed heartily at his own assumption.

"Hey hey, what're you suggesting there, you dirty old man," Monk chided him scornfully while looking a trifle mortified at Yasuhara's train of thought.

Yasuhara twirled gracefully away from him and told him in a self-assured voice, "What I'm suggesting here is quite a probability. Since when has it been so quiet when Mai has been around and doing _**things **_she_** should **_be doing? Hehehe, they're making out!" he laughed again. Monk deflated visibly as he pointed an accusing finger at him.

"You're teasing me, aren't you? You _**are **_teasing me, aren't you?"

Yasuhara put on a pleasant smile, "There is only one way to find out!" he punched the air and quietly and slyly made his way over to Oliver's office door. Just when he was about to lean at the door handle, he heard the sound of soft footfalls and he wrenched straight back up when the door opened slightly.

A blank-faced Oliver stared down at the innocently smiling Yasuhara with certain coolness before his eyes travelled over to the wide-eyed and heavily panting Monk in the lounge. The silence stretched onwards, the only sound was the slightly slumbering bird that was perched on his shoulders. Yasuhara eyed the bird rather curiously before he tried to see past Oliver and into the office beyond him. Oliver raised his eyebrows at his gesture. Yasuhara drew back slightly disappointed at the absence of Mai and stared back at the bird with that same curiosity in his eyes.

When they just stared at each other for a few more moments, Yasuhara decided to break the heavy silence, "Ah! Shibuya-san, I never knew that you were the sort of person to be interested in keeping pets, and more specifically a charming and colorful bird like a hummingbird,"

Monk also eyed the bird with curiosity and asked, "Yeah, it's pretty cute, isn't it?" he poked a finger in its feathery chest and caressed the skin under it. The bird chirped awake in surprise, almost falling down in its surprise. It looked up at the intruder and chirped up in surprise. Monk laughed heartily as the bird rubbed itself affectionately against the side of his face.

"Oh, wow! It's really friendly as well. Where did you get such a specimen, Naru-bou? I could love this type of thing for all eternity,"

Oliver heaved a sigh – this bird radiated Mai in everyway and sense that he was slightly surprised that they hadn't figured out who it belonged to.

Yasuhara frowned in displeasure, "Don't hog it all to yourself, Takigawa-san," Yasuhara snatched the bird lightly away from the Monk and sniffed at its feathers with long in-drawn smell, "It smells rather unusual as well,"

"It does!" Monk snatched the bird away again and sniffed heartily at it. The bird was overwhelmed would be an understatement, Oliver could literally make out its dizziness in its eyes – something that was very common for Mai, and he wasn't surprised. Thinking it would be prudent to get little-Mai away from the scavengers he swiftly took the bird from the Monk's hands, causing him to pout slightly and Oliver to pucker up in disgust.

"I think that is enough fun time for you all," he glared at them – the bird having manifested against his face now. He could feel the warmth emanating from its tiny body. To say that it was distracting him would be an appropriate term. He could clearly smell the Daffodils off of its feathers – this was the exact smell that radiated from Mai's hair. There was another separate smell that he had also smelled before, the smell of cinnamon and sweet wildflowers – the smell of Mai It's feathers were soft, warm and silky – a little rough in some places but he loved them all the same. A dizzying thought came to his mind – Mai's hair had felt the same way in his _**dream**_.

Oliver hid his distraction and ignored the protests of the two, when some sly words from Yasuhara's mouth caused him to pay them attention.

"Shibuya-san's being overly-protective of his precious bird, isn't he?"

_**Precious bird, indeed…**_

Just when he was about to reply rather coldly the door to Lin's office opened up to admit a slightly worried Mai. Mai looked over all the people in the room, ignoring the somewhat dejected greetings from the two new comers, until her eyes fell on Kohana who was snuggling against Oliver's face. Oliver watched, slightly amused…and delighted, as her eyes changed from one of confusion and worry to that of horror and morbidity.

"Kohana!" Mai yelled, causing the bird to chirp up and flutter over to her happily. The Monk and Yasuhara shared a glance.

"Eh? Kohana?" Yasuhara glanced at Oliver before continuing, "That's your bird, Mai-san?"

Mai sighed in relief when the little bird snuggled against her face, she smiled brightly and nodded, "That's right! Isn't she just wonderful?"

Yasuhara sniggered lightly at the retreating form of Oliver and whispered urgently in Monk's ear, "No wonder he was being so over-protective of the bird," this enticed another giggle from the dark-haired young man.

After explaining the mystery of the bird and her new found occupation, Mai slumped over with a broom and mop and started cleaning the office. Yasuhara and Lin opted to help out, but they ended up making a much bigger mess of things what with all the mop fighting and the dirty water spilling out of the buckets. Mai threatened to beat their butts with the hard end of the broom if they didn't quit their ministrations. Giving into her threats, they decided to plop down in the lounge and play with Kohana.

"This bird is very unusually like Mai-san, don't you think?" Yasuhara asked with that pleasant smile of his as he gazed at the energetic bird hovering between them as though they were flowers full of nectar.

"Most certainly. It is after all a part of her being – I'd be very surprised if it demonstrated any qualities not worthy of Mai," the Monk ruffled Kohana's feathers affectionately.

_**This was a very nice addition to their family…**_

**Mai's Apartment:**

**10:00pm:**

Mai plopped down on her bed with a satisfied sigh. She felt loads better then she had done yesterday. She smiled up at Kohana was teetering in her field of vision rather curiously. Mai strained her mind towards it and found it buzzing with innocent curiosity, not really understanding Mai's feelings at the moment. Mai's smiled widened, Lin-san had told her that Kohana would be able to read her thoughts and emotions very clearly, but will a little problem at understanding them in the beginning. The same held true for Mai's side of things.

Mai reached out a hand towards the birds. Reading her desire, the bird plopped down in the nape of her neck and snuggled happily, causing Mai to giggle with delight.

Slightly worried that the bird would crush under her weight if she turned around in the night, Mai looked around for something for Kohana to sleep on – even though she didn't want to sleep away from her new household companion. The loneliness that she had gotten used to with her parents' death was slightly diminished as she felt the bird snuggle even more into her.

Smiling slightly, a happy thought came to her mind before she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

_**She wouldn't be home alone anymore…**_

_Mai blinked, looking around. This place… she had been here the previous night as well. A warm happiness filled her heart as she gazed over at the familiar terrain – he was visiting for a second time. _

_She bounced lightly on her feet and made for the wonderful place where they had met for the first time in their dreams. The smell of Daffodils wafted through the air and with a warm realization, she realized that this place represented some part of her being – the Daffodils were proof of that. _

_During the day, she had been slightly worried that such a flower was her representative – since they represented narcissism and would have suited Oliver better. Lin-san had assured her that her flower representative was more in touch with her then anything else and that she need not worry since the Daffodil represented beauty. And since they had been talking about Mai – it was safe to say that the flower represented everything positive. _

_She bounced lightly, her smile widening as she made out the black clad figure making its way towards her. This couldn't have been more perfect. When she had first visited him, she had thought that he was someone else. Upon nearing him, she had been delightedly surprised that it wasn't him…she loved both of them, and had no problem if she visited one or the other. But, somehow, his presence caused her to be slightly happier then what she felt with the other one – perhaps a difference of age… _

_She smiled warmly as she stared in to those blank eyes that were shinning slightly. Even here he was the same ever…_

_Something buzzed in her mind and automatically she read it and stretched a hand to cup that handsome face of his. Words couldn't be shared here, not because of inability, but because there was no need. _

_She trailed her thumb gently across his cheek and loved the way his eyes changed ever so slightly to show the gently softness that she was never able to read in real life. _

_She loved every moment of this, his hand trailing through her own hair – just like he had done yesterday. He seemed to like it a lot, even though she didn't find anything impressive about her own hair. _

_She looked up when she felt a slight tug at her hand – what she saw made her worry. He was confused…just like she was…but, this dream have any value to be considered authentic? _

_She was a lucid dreamer, but she wasn't so sure about this dream – this could just be a normal dream harboring on her desires and wishes and maybe helping her with her new found confusion. _

_She shook her head lightly at him as his hand fell reluctantly from her hair. Mai reached out for his hand and smiled in self-assurance. She frowned when he wrenched it away. She drew back sadly – her moment of anger dissipating for a moment, before it flared up again and she turned her head away from him. _

_She was about to walk back to where she had come from when she felt a light tug on her hand. She looked up at him and he sighed silently, shaking his head – he was still confused. _

_Mai laced her fingers with his and looked at him with desperation in her eyes – she was confused as well. He gave a nonchalant shrug and averted his eyes away from her. _

_Mai felt a sudden urge in the back of her mind and she let go of his hand gently. He nodded at her – assuring that he'll be here for a next time. _

_Mai smiled brilliantly at him as they both faded away from their little blissful heaven…_

**Mai's Apartment:**

**March 12:**

**09:00am: **

Mai yawned loudly, splashing her face with cold water. She grabbed her toothbrushand started brushing her teeth rather vigorously. She wasn't going in for work today, at least not until she had stuff sorted out at the University. Ever since she had become a University student, her shifts at SPR had become late afternoons with her opting for morning lectures with the University.

Kohana fluttered nearby, energizing herself by glowing under Mai's spiritual energy. Lin-san told her that Kohana would be able to do that, whenever she wanted and however she wanted.

Mai patted her cheeks and shook her head. She spat water from her mouth and rinsed her mouth thoroughly to rid herself of the alkaline taste of toothpaste.

She grabbed a towel and rubbed her face dry. She made her way towards her bed and grabbed her attire for the day.

She wriggled into her half-sleeved shirt and denims. She wasn't really in the mood for a skirt, where boys would try and pick her up with useless and tacky lines – why couldn't they be more like Oliver or Gene? Or should that be the other way round?

Mai shivered – now that would be just plain creepy. She also speculated that hordes of unconscious girls around them would not mean good reputation with the police or the media for that matter. She heaved an exasperated sigh as she gobbled down her breakfast and made her way out into the shinny, bright world with Kohana resting safely in the spacious pocket of her jacket.

**SPR:**

**March 12:**

**10:00am:**

Oliver heaved a small sigh. Mai wouldn't be in today, and he didn't really know what to feel about her absence – happy or disappointed? If he were to say then it would be a little of both, relived that there wouldn't be any _**physical **_distractions for him today and disappointed since he would find himself wondering about her…

The dream he had had yesterday was enough to keep him preoccupied for awhile. He couldn't help but think that these were just normal dreams that every love-struck man has to experience one time or another. Even Gene had had these kinds of seemingly mundane and useless kinds of dreams when he was particularly smitten with a girl or not.

Oliver would find himself disgusted at the thousands of thoughts of Gene's mind rammed into his own brain that he would be forced to keep the connection at a close until he reached his sense. Oliver had seen the flashes of a date in Gene's head which he was particularly recalling.

So, yes, it was just a little dream – it meant nothing. To give more power to this thought there was the fact that he couldn't astral project and hence, they were just a part of his brain playing tricks on him.

Having resolved that, he couldn't help but wander over to when she had cupped his face – hadn't he been fantasying about it earlier in the day? Yes; and his brain had reciprocated that fantasy into a dream, not even bothering to see that the urge had been very minute – Oliver knew he was right, he _**did **_have an awesome brain. He smirked to himself.

_**What an idiot you are, Noll…**_

**March 13:**

**Case Day:**

**08:00am:**

Having no other choice but to comply with the seating arrangements, Oliver found himself seated beside a very distracting young girl with just a distracting hummingbird alongside her. He heaved a gentle sigh. He had crossed his limbs very tightly, so they wouldn't touch any part of her and had dropped any possibilities of reading material when he knew that he wouldn't be able to focus. He opted for staring outside the window – slyly, and I mean very slyly, staring at Mai's reflection in the glass with a slight frown.

He had visited her again last night – it had been pretty much the same as the night before, but it had been pleasant none the less. He touched his slender fingers to his slightly burning forehead. His gaze travelled to his feet and then flickered over to Mai's feet momentarily. He watched as she shook her pink-colored toes in her black gladiator sandals. Her feet had never caught his attention before.

He noted just how long her nails were and how her feet were slightly shorter then that of women of her age – this was due to her pixie-like figure, of course. He averted his eyes and back outside the window.

_**If his brother ever found out anymore about this then he already did, he would never let him live down the shame…**_

**09:00am:**

Oliver swiftly stepped out of the car and was already halfway towards the entrance when Mai got out. She gazed at the Japanese house with awe. The surrounding trees that stood outside of the well-manicured boundary were tall and lush – Mai couldn't help but get a feeling of serenity from this place, if it weren't for the horrible events that had taken place amidst those very trees. A light mist was forming around the whole place and she couldn't help but shiver with cold when a wind blew from the trees.

The house was a double storey traditional Japanese house that was light green in color. The several windows that faced her were plain and shiny without any tint or color. There were Bonsais placed neatly near the shoji door entrance and a traditional lantern hung over the entrance.

She felt a nudge on her shoulder and looked around to see Lin-san looking at questioningly. She shook her head and followed him over to where their clients stood with Oliver. They would first monitor the situation like this and then put up equipments according to the activity of the area.

"Has there been any activity inside the house?" Oliver's deep voice rang in Mai's ears as she made to stand beside him after greeting the clients. Mai gazed worriedly at the distraught looking couple as the man shook his head.

"Not any that we are aware of," his voice was nervous and low, as though the cause of their problems would hear them and then start attacking them as they stood there.

Oliver nodded his head as though he knew that it would be like this, "Where does the most activity occur?"

The man of the house, Kazuo Takahashi and his wife Tomiko Takahashi glanced at each other before Kazuo-san replied, "They all disappeared inside the forest…also," he gazed around nervously, "They all disappeared after sun-down,"

"Then we'll be sure to search the forest during the day-time. Till then, I advice that you or your workers stay within the boundaries of the house," ordered with confidence and a blunt tone.

Kazuo-san nodded his head, "That is easily understood. We'll make sure that we follow your orders,"

"Good. We will monitor the situation now,"

"Of course, if you will follow me,"

The trio followed the couple in to see the inside of the holiday home. Mai removed her shoes and placed them neatly alongside Lin-san's shoes. The interior of the house spoke of water as opposed to the light green color that the house presented on the outside. The walls were a faint blue to give a rather charming effect to the main area. A sliding shoji door lead out to the back of the house and there were three bedrooms on the ground floor. The corridor containing the rooms ended up with the stairs leading to the upper floors. The servants had their own living cottage attached to the kitchen and the rest of the house.

Mai really liked the house and by Kohana's reaction, she liked it too.

"Mai," Oliver's voice made her look over at him, "Come here for a minute,"

Mai trudged over to where he stood by the shoji doors that lead to the backyard of the house.

"What is it?"

Oliver studied her for a second, "Do you feel or see anything over there?" he pointed towards the trees. Mai looked curiously over to the beautiful forest and frowned.

"I can't _**see**_ anything…but, there's a hollow feeling from over there – as though the forest is empty but not quite so," she looked over at him with a worried expression. Oliver seemed to be in deep thought, his index finger touching his lips.

"I see…" he turned away from her, "Go help Lin with the equipment and set up base in the main area,"

"Gotcha'" Mai saluted him and hurried back to the van to bring in the equipment.

As they were setting up the monitors the honking of a car announced the arrival of the rest of the SPR. Mai pulled out from where she was crouching and plugging in the wires when she heard the rather loud greeting from Monk and Yasuhara. She bounced over to them with a huge smile.

"Guys!" she hit the Monk upside the head in a greeting.

"Hey! Jou-chan, watch what you do to me," Monk chided scornfully, massaging the back of his head agitatedly – the people he loved most, were usually the ones physically assaulting him almost all the time. If not Ayako then it's bound to be Mai – what a life he lived. He was distracted from his resentment when he felt a warm flutter to the side of his cheek and looked up to find Kohana delivering her own form of greeting. Bou-san smiled widely and returned the affection by stroking its feathers gently.

Having said their greetings to one another, they moved about with helping with the equipment. Mai looked over at Masako who was gazing over at the forest with her kimono sleeve covering her mouth and a slight frown accompanying her eyes. Mai walked over to her and tapped her gently on the shoulder. She looked over at Mai with worried eyes.

"Masako…?" the sudden call of her name made a certain bespectacled boy to look over at them with a frown. Deciding his move without hesitation he strode over to them and listened in to what his beloved young lady had to say.

"Blood…I smell blood," Masako looked rather pale as she gazed at Mai with worry.

"Blood…?" Mai's eyes travelled over to the forest and she frowned – she couldn't smell anything, but that could easily be due to her instability. She looked back at Masako with concern.

"You should lie down, if that's what you want," Mai held her hand in a comforting manner. Yasuahara rubbed her back gently; she looked over at him with slightly dazed look and nodded her head. Mai let the couple go on their own and trudged herself to where Oliver stood. She sighed as she reached his side, he didn't look up from his notebook.

"Masako smelled blood," she stated glumly.

"Did you?" his voice was unconcerned and bored. She frowned down at him and knocked his head slightly, causing him to look up at her.

"No, I did not. And it'll be more prudent if you showed more concern for your supposed friends," she hollered angrily.

"I suggest that you go back to work. I'll mind my own business, shall I?" his voice was sharp and cold. Mai stood stubbornly in front of him, not giving up.

"I _**am **_working. Civilizing a hyena like you is quite a job on its own," she stated rather menacingly.

Oliver smirked slightly, "It's good to hear that I'm a handful," his eyes flickered over to hers for a moment – he held her gaze for a moment before he let it fall down to his notebook again.

"What's with that attitude of yours? Don't you feel bad for being so cold?" she mumbled grumpily.

Oliver chose to ignore such an obvious question, instead he said in a condescending tone of voice, "Get back to work, Mai. Set up three cameras and microphones near the boundary of the forest. Don't go in there alone or without my permission," he glanced up at her once again and saw her glaring down at him. She heaved a small sigh and moved away from him.

She grabbed a camera and two microphones and ventured over to the boundary of the house with Bou-san and Kohana.

As she was setting up one of the microphones, her gaze slowly turned towards the forest again. Her hand dropped unconsciously from the recording button. The forest was eerily silent, she suppressed a shiver. Giving the forest her full attention now, she came to the realization that she couldn't see very far into its depths. It was almost pitch black as she looked over at one particular spot in the darkness.

A pale face loomed in her vision and she jerked back in surprise with a small yelp.

"Mai?" Bou-san's voice called out to her in a concerned voice. He walked over to where she stood panting slightly. He tapped her shoulder lightly. She looked up at him with wide eyes.

"What did you see?"

Mai heaved a sigh, "A face,"

Bou-san rubbed her back in a comforting way, "Where?"

She pointed a shaking finger over to where she had seen that deathly white face of a human being. She hadn't expected the face to linger and wasn't surprised when she saw that it had disappeared.

"What kind of face was it?" he cupped his chin and looked thoughtfully at the area where she had pointed.

"Just a normal one," she let out a small breath and ran a hand through her hair in agitation, "A human face,"

He looked down at her with concern and patted her head gently, "You should go tell Oliver that. I'll finish up here, shall I?"

Mai scoffed disbelievingly, "Do you think that he'll want to be bothered with such _**small **_discovery?" she crossed her arms and glared at him, slightly.

Bou-san frowned, "Good point,"

Mai sighed again, turning back to the microphone and adjusting the button. She looked up again when she saw the Monk trudging purposefully into the forest. What was that idiot doing?

"Bou-san! What do you think you're doing? Naru told us not o go in there without his permission!" she ran after him when he didn't reply. Something wasn't right…she could feel it, right to the core of her stomach.

"Bou-sa," –

Her hand went through his shoulder and she reeled back in shock – what was going on here?

"Mai!" Bou-san's voice rang through the air and she felt herself being pulled back by an unseen force and into the light of the house again. She fell to her knees when she felt a heavy blow to her head. She looked up dazed at Bou-san to see his furious expression.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Mai?" he yelled angrily at her. Mai whipped her head around to the area where she had been certain that Bou-san had ventured out into – empty. Dumbstruck she stared confused at the Bou-san in front of her.

"Uhhhh – weren't you just walking into the forest?" she asked uncertainly. She watched in worry as she saw his eyes darkening with comprehension.

"No, I wasn't. You just went blank all of a sudden and my cries didn't have any effects on you," he paused for a moment, "Then you went running into the forest,"

Mai sneezed loudly before she continued while rubbing her nose, "That's because I saw _**you **_running into the forest,"

"That was just an illusion, Mai," he knocked her head in annoyance. He clutched his head in mock devastation and yelled over-dramatically, "Whatever am I to do with a girl as reckless as you, huh?"

Mai didn't reply but gazed back to the forest with a frown. The Monk looked at her in worry and patted her back gently.

"We should head back and tell Naru what you saw," he pulled her along and she followed without a word.

_**Whatever had tricked her; was not an ordinary being…**_

**A/N: Hey Guys! I completed the challenge! Isn't that great? Tell me how you liked it – hopefully it didn't get tedious. =s**

**This chapter clocked in on 10, 400 words. Heh~ =)**

**I'm rather proud of the fact, though, hehehehe…**

**Don't forget to read and review…**

**Till the next chapter! =D**

**Hummingbird: They literally represent joy and energy. Their fast movement is an indication of their swift movement – much like with Mai and her emotions. The hummingbird really suited her. =)**

**Monkey: They represent careless fun, energy and playfulness. This might have suited Mai as well – that's why Naru states that Monkey could have been better.**

**Hyena: They represent two-faced liars…a thing which might have suited Naru – but I didn't deem him that low…heheheh, you'll find out what his real animal representative soon enough. **

**Rhino: They are known to rage around when riled up – much like what Mai is like when she is angry…hehehe**

**Naru's fantasy is rather innocent…I LOVE that about him…just thought I'd share that innocence with y'all, hehehehe.**


	4. The Forest

**Love Bound:**

**Case 2: Night Calling**

**Chapter 4:**

**The Forest  
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**March 13:**

**Day 1:**

**09:45am:**

"_**What **_does it take to make you _**understand**_?" Oliver's cold voice rang in Mai's head like a piece of ice, and she couldn't help but shiver. Having recounted the little run-off she had had, Oliver had glared mercilessly down at her before he had chosen to literally crack the heavy silence with that condescending tone of his. Mai tightened her grip on her knees and scrunched up her eyes as though she couldn't bear to hold his gaze for very long.

Her heart was thumping wildly and she could smell the light traces of something metallic. She could feel the tenderness of her heart like a broken clock, and she didn't know how much longer she'd be able to hold the agony in. Dread pumped on the edges of her heart and she ran a trembling hand over her sweaty face. She could feel her armpits getting slick with the wet, and no doubt that they would seep into her clothes as well.

She pressed a hand up to her mouth to stop the wild chattering of her teeth and she scrunched her eyes up when her vision began to blur. Opening them again, she felt something red trickle into her vision, causing the world to take on a dark red tint. She looked up in shock and rubbed her eyes of the color – only to be in vain.

The dread on the corner of her heart pumped in like a thick liquid, she was shivering with fear and an unsettling cold. She hugged her arms to herself and didn't register any words that may have been directed at her. She rocked absentmindedly in her seat, her hands dead-white on her knees.

An electrifying shock made her gasp out in alarm and pain and she whipped her around to the door where she could make out the trees clustered together.

_**Something…**_

She could make out the red sky and a few flecks of black birds making their flight into the distance – _**did something scare them? **_

The wild thumping of her heart drove out any words that may have been directed at her and she was too much in a frightened state to really care what had been exchanged. Her vision still red, she could distinctly make out the shadows of the trees seeping into the boundary – _**human-like…**_

Shivering and breathing hard, she didn't notice the black-clad figure move towards her. Her eyes searched frantically for a sign of _**something…anything **_in the trees that might tell her that what she felt in the core of her burning heart was correct and not a lie – that _**she **_was being watched. Her movements getting agitated, she shifted in her seat restlessly.

A cold hand on her shoulder made her jump with a small shriek and she looked up –

What she saw made her heart stop for one second before her scream broke through the house and she jerked away in freight, causing her to topple over her and onto her back.

The creature that she could see through the red was one of evil…and hunger. A sharp-teethed mouth stretched wide in a leering smile – blood was dripping from amidst those carnivorous teeth, and it had cold, dead eyes – the eyes of a monster. She screamed, crawling away from the dreadful monster when it reached a hand towards her.

"_**STAY AWAY!" **_shrieking and panicking she hollered in freight, _**"MONSTER!" **_

She flailed her arms in defense and made to claw at the monster as she got up when she felt a heavy blow to the back of her neck – the last thing she saw was the creature making its way towards her, before she descended down into darkness.

"_**NO!" **_

Oliver stared slightly wide-eyed at the girl in his arms, his heart thumping wildly. He was holding her precariously, his hands holding her up by the armpits. He heaved a heavy sigh, regaining control, before he heaved her more securely into his chest, so she wouldn't fall on the floor. He held her there for a second before he handed her over to Lin, who had moved forwards to relieve him of the weight.

He turned away from them as Lin carried Mai off to the ladies' room – a frantic Monk following after them, after passing a glance towards Oliver.

Oliver cupped his chin in his left hand and stared at the forest with narrow eyes. What had gotten into her? The way Mai had shrieked at the sight of him with those wide and fearful eyes – the way she had crawled away from him in fear – the way she had yelled at him to stay away from her – the way she had called him _**'monster' **_– the way she had flailed her arms in _**defense **_– the way she had tried to _**claw **_at him when she had made to stand up – the shrill panic and fear in her eyes…it had disturbed and hurt him and in a way that he had never expected it to.

The thing that really got his brain working was the question – _**what had made her behave like that? **_The question of possession was strong in his mind, they had had a couple of cases, not too many, when Mai had been possessed and she had seen into the memories of the spirit – much like with Urado's case. It was very much like psychometry – an unpleasant feeling, when you get affected by the person's memories – psychologically, emotionally and physically. He had had done too many experiments with his own powers to know of the effect – the most painful being Gene's death. His body had ached badly for several days before it had had diminished away.

Could he really deduce that Mai had been recalling another person's memories or could it be the same as the hallucination that she had seen while setting up the equipment? He didn't really think that it might have been because of possession – what guarantee was there that the spirit had had experienced the same setting that Mai had been in? The only other option that he could come up with was that this had been same as the hallucination as before, and seeing that Mai had had just been hallucinating, it seemed even more probable.

He heaved a frustrated sigh; they had been here for just a couple of minutes before something happens. Whatever this thing was; was a force to be reckoned with. And looking at the dangers that the forest presented, his plan seemed limited in the sense that he wouldn't be able to send out man power into the forest – not when the possibility had arisen that they could disappear even during daylight. He heaved another sigh.

The only other way they could approach the forest was through air transport – a helicopter maybe…

"Shibuya-san?" a nervous and uncertain voice reached his ears. He turned around to see the lady of the house, Tomiko Takahashi, standing near the table with a tray of tea and biscuits. She set the tray down on the table and looked up at him again nervously.

"Tea is served," she beckoned him over shyly. Not wanting to be rude to their clients, he sat down at the table as she took her seat opposite him. She rested her hands gently in her lap, "Where are the others, might I ask? I was wondering if they'll be joining you…."

Oliver looked at her steadily, he had no doubt in his mind that this woman had heard Mai's screams and protests, but was too nervous and scared to bring the topic at hand.

"They'll be here shortly…" was his only reply before he lapsed into silence again. Tomiko-san shifted under his penetrating gaze nervously and nodded awkwardly at his pronouncement before she leapt up again.

"Have some tea," she poured him a cup and passed it over with a slightly shaking hand. Oliver nodded his approval and took a sip of the steaming oolong tea. Having no questions about Japanese mannerisms, he took the time, while she waited for the others to come up, with questioning her about the place.

"How long have you been in possession of this house?" he began with his business tone and she looked up at him in nervous surprise at the sudden question.

"That would be one month and counting. We didn't start renovations until a few weeks ago,"

"I see, did ever hear anything about past disappearances concerning this area in general?"

She heaved a small breath and shook her head, "No…the manager of this house didn't tell us anything, even if he knew anything. It almost seemed to me like those agents in movies who want to get rid of a haunted house rather quickly," she gave a shaky laugh, "He was very pleasant about the house and it was only after we began renovations that we realized that everything wasn't as pleasant as he had made it out to be," she sounded rather indignant and Oliver didn't blame the woman one bit for being like that. He took another sip before continuing on.

"Did…any of the people that disappear have anything particular in common? Like age, perhaps?" Oliver followed the movement of her eyes as she gazed all around the room for an answer.

"Three of our workers went missing, due to the nature of their work; none of them were very old. Let's see, Hyoue Isshin was about twenty-three years of age, Hana Daisuke was twenty-six and Yamato Fumio was about twenty-five years of age,"

"All in their twenties…" he muttered under his breath before looking up at her again, "Have you ever ventured out into the forest, or your husband?"

She looked slightly shocked at his question and shook her head quickly, "No…never. We were thinking about trailing into the forest to see the lake, but…" she trailed off and lowered her head sadly, "The disappearances started,"

Just as she finished, the sound of several footfalls reached their ears and they both turned around to look at the incoming party – Lin, Monk and Yasuhara.

"She woke up again," Lin answered his questioning look, for a second he looked worried and tired before his emotionless mask came back on, "She was crying,"

"Yes…but we tried to soothed her, it didn't really help," the Monk made a sour look before he slumped down in his seat and reached for the cup of tea that Tomiko-san passed him with a 'thanks', "Until she went limp on her own – most probably your brother must have called her on," Monk looked distractedly down at his feet, not noticing the sudden tenseness in Oliver's body or the slight darkening of his eyes. It lingered there for only a minimal of a second before it vanished under that unbreakable mask of his.

Oliver's heart hardened, he knew that his brother would be able to comfort Mai in a much more soothing and comforting way then what they had been trying to do. And the only thing that he really knew how to do was get her more upset by his jibes at her. He heaved a sigh, waving the thought away.

"Just one more thing, Takahashi-san. Could you describe the fog of spirits that you mentioned?" he stared at the woman before him intently.

Tomiko-san lapsed into thought before answering, "It was exactly what my husband told you it was like. It was like it wasn't really there, but we could see it – very much like a hallucination,"

Oliver's eyes flashed at this pronouncement and grasped at it firmly, "How did you know that it was a hallucination?"

Tomiko-san shrugged and shook her head, "I don't know. It just sort of clicked, really. It was the kind of sensation that you have when you have a high fever and everything seems like you're in a dream of some sort,"

Oliver sighed, placing his empty cup back on its saucer before he stood up, "Thank you for your time and hospitality, Takahashi-san,"

The Monk looked over at him lazily as he made his way over to where Lin sat at the monitors. It was very important, almost crucial, to discuss the matter at hand with Lin…and maybe give Madoka a call as well…

_Mai sat crying her heart out into Gene's chest. He had been there, ready and prepared, as she had materialized into the dream realm with a bleeding heart and streaming eyes. He had engulfed her immediately and had started rubbing her back with an unusually serious expression on his face. He looked over to the jewel-bright hummingbird that had accompanied Mai into this realm,_ _perched against Mai's wet cheek and chirping slightly in a comforting manner. _

"_Mai…" he said in a quiet breath, "It's alright, it was only a hallucination…" _

_Mai couldn't really control herself at this point, "I was so scared, so scared," she muttered in a hoarse voice between sobs. He rubbed her back rather vigorously, before he drew back slightly and sighed. He patted her head before he smiled a rather mischievous smile._

"_Mai…I'd like you to meet a pet of mine…" _

_Mai hiccuped to a stop, her mind wandering over to the time when Oliver had said the same thing to her when she had been about to go into a state of panic – now Gene was doing this to her? She looked up at him in confusion, her tears were still flowing and her lips were drawn out in a child-like pout. Gene could have laughed at her cuteness, but he refrained due to the seriousness of the situation. _

"_Pet…?" she wiped at her eyes pathetically. He nodded at her question. _

"_It's over here," he pointed towards his back. Mai peered around him to see what kind of pet he might have – a wagging tail. A wet cry of surprise escaped her lips as she gazed at the white Labrador puppy with wide eyes. It barked happily, bounding out from behind Gene and lurching towards her with a happy bounce. Mai squealed as it started licking at her face, cleaning her of her tears, while wagging its tail energetically. Kohana chirped up with excitement and flew down to rest on the puppy's head. The puppy whined in surprise before lurching away and biting at Kohana – Kohana flew into the air and was chased happily by the puppy. Mai gave a wet giggle as she watched those two. _

"_He's yours?" she looked confused at him, her fear and dread going away as Gene smiled down at her. _

"_That's right. His name's Roy…he's my animal representative…much like your hummingbird really," he laughed slightly when Roy jumped up to lick his ears, while Kohana perched herself on Mai' shoulder again. Mai smiled slightly at the puppy. _

"_It's just like you," _

"_Of course, they are a part of us…so naturally they'd be like us," he nodded towards Kohana perched on her shoulder. He stroked Roy's ears absentmindedly, enticing a bark of pleasure from him. Gene looked up from Roy and gazed softly at Mai. He reached out and patted her head again, "You're better?" _

"_Yes…thank-you," she smiled slightly, rubbing at the remaining tears with the back of her hand, "So what are we seeing today?" she asked in a shaking voice, trying to make it sound cheerful. _

_Gene cupped his chin and stared down at her seriously, "Nothing, you're upset today and besides, there are a lot of spirits here and I haven't started on which visions to guide you to," he heaved a small breath, "You can go back if you want to…" _

_Mai shook her head, "Can I stay…for a while more?" she asked tentatively. He smiled gently down at her. _

"_Sure…and since I'm feeling particularly lazy today, we could hang out or chill out…" _

_Mai giggled, "I'd like that," _

**11:00am: **

"I've blessed the house, Shibuya-san," John told Oliver while clutching a bible to his chest. He had arrived one hour ago and had been ordered by Oliver to bless the house for protection. He had heard of what had taken place from the Monk and had been highly concerned for Mai. He had blessed the ladies' room the first thing and had found her sleeping peacefully and serenely. He had smiled at her in relief before he had continued on with his blessing.

"Good," Oliver said before looking down at the notes that he had taken over the course of their investigation. He wouldn't say it out loud, but he had an itch – a slight itch, but an itch none-the-less. The itch concerned a certain brown-haired medium and her extensive time of dream roaming…with his _**dead **_brother. He mentally shook his head and concentrated on the task at hand – how to investigate the forest without posing a real threat on their lives. Oliver would have liked it very much to venture out into the trees himself, but looking at the consequences that it might pose, so he dropped the idea – for now.

Oliver turned towards Lin and said, "Place out a couple of cameras and microphones within a couple of meters into the trees. Take Takigawa-san with you," he nodded towards the slightly dozing off Monk.

Lin stood up immediately and walked over to wake the Monk up. He then turned towards Yasuhara, "Can I trust you to do research on this place?"

Yasuhara nodded his head, "Of course,"

Oliver nodded his head, "John and Hara-san will stay here, we might need them," he looked towards John who was looking out towards where the Monk and Lin were venturing into the forest. He turned around to look at Oliver when he heard his name and nodded his head.

He was about to turn back to his notes when a shrill cry made him turn towards the source of the sound – the ladies' room.

"Masako-chan?" Yasuhara called out, but as he was about to run towards the room, another shrill cry came from there – a_** delighted **_shrill.

"Puppy! Puppy! Puppy!"

Oliver raised his eyebrows at the sound of Mai's over-the-moon-with happiness voice. This cry was followed by two delighted squeals and the wrenching of the door when a white ghost like figure hurtled through the door and bounded towards the confounded group of men. The small white ghost-like something hurled right at Oliver and started climbing his legs to reach his face. Oliver looked down at the Labrador puppy with slight surprise. This sight was followed by a laughing Mai as she ran over to where Oliver stood with the puppy, adventuring on his body.

She looked up at Oliver with a warm smile, "He missed you…"

Oliver kicked Roy off – and turned arrogantly away from Mai, causing her to scowl down at him. Roy bounded barking happily after Oliver again and Oliver found himself weakening at Roy's expense – it wasn't everyday that your dead brother's animal representative comes to visit you.

He turned towards Mai with a stony glare, "How'd he get here?"

Mai laughed nervously, "He kind of bounded at me when I was about to leave…and this is what happened," she looked worried for a second, "I should take him back,"

"It's the first time that you talked sense,"

Mai opened her mouth to argue when Roy bounded for the open shoji door and towards the forest.

"Roy! NO!" Mai yelled bailing after the naïve puppy as he bounded towards the depths of the forest.

"Mai!" Oliver called, making a grab for the girl, but she slipped out of his grasp and pounded hectically towards the trees.

"John!" Oliver called as he ran after Mai, "Yasuhara-san stay there!" he called over his shoulder.

He could clearly make out the path that Mai had chosen through the amount of broken brambles and treaded grass. He followed the trail, John sprinting right behind him. It was dark, but not as much as he had expected it to be. He could tell where he was going and that was enough for him to gain some momentum.

Roy's constant barks were also a help in telling him where the dog was.

"Mai!" he called out, he could also make out her voice as she begged Roy to stop. When she didn't respond he called again, "Mai stop! Lin's there, he'll handle Roy. Now get back here,"

Wet dirt squelched under his feet, the fallen brambles crunched under his step and fallen leaves slithered like snakes as he whizzed past tree after tree and towards where the Mystery of Life was headed – Mai. His chest was searing painfully and a certain dread engulfed him as he tore through the undergrowth.

"Mai!" he called again, when he saw the back of her bright blue shirt, he gathered his aching legs and tore full speed towards her. He reached a hand to grab the back of her shirt and pulled her back, causing her to shriek and stumble back into his chest. He collided against a tree with her weight, and steadied himself against it. His hand wound lethally on her shoulder as he pushed her away from his chest, but didn't let go when she tried to struggle against his hold.

"Mai!" he called out angrily and he grabbed her arms to prevent her flight. She looked up at him with a furious expression of her own. Mai regained her breath before yelling.

"Let go of me Naru! I have to go get Roy!" she struggled against his hold a little more before she yelled again, "I can't let him go off like that!"

He sighed, calming his own raging heart before he told her in a cold and quiet voice, "Lin's out there, didn't I tell you that? Roy was heading towards him from the beginning – Lin wouldn't have let him off on his own would he?"

Mai gasped, flushing from embarrassment, as she stopped struggling against his hold, "I'm sorry,"

He relinquished one of her arms, but held her other wrist firmly in his grip, "Lin!"

"Here!" Lin's baritone voice called out from amidst the trees.

"Where did that idiot dog get to?"

His call was answered with a happy bark coming from where Roy had run off to. Oliver heard a small sigh.

"Here,"

"Hey, who does this puppy belong to?" Monk's voice called out, but he got no reply as Lin called out a different message.

"Head back out, Naru. It's dangerous in here…especially for Mai,"

Oliver looked down at Mai, before he called out his 'ok' and trudged back towards the exit with Mai in tow. John followed in after them and Kohana teetered over his blonde head with worry.

As soon as they were outside Oliver dropped Mai's wrist and turned to glare down at her. Mai looked sheepish and nervous, the joy that had filled her before was long gone, and Oliver couldn't have been any gladder. He was fed up with her habit of giving up on people; it proved a nuisance in situations such as these. She needed to grow up and start trusting people with things other then herself; her independence usually got on his nerves and he had every right, as her boss, to keep her under control.

"Mai," his voice came out low and severe, "_**What**_ is wrong with you?"

Oliver could scold her for all she cared (which was a lot), but this situation had been different. To let Roy run off all by himself was didn't really seem right in her mind, and not when she was the one who brought him here by accident. She wouldn't have forgiven herself if anything had happened to the loveable dog and she doubted whether Gene would have taken to her as easily as he was doing right now. _**That **_was wrong with her – people could hate her for all she was worth, but she'll always do what she thinks is right, very much like what Oliver does really.

She was about to talk some sense into that gigantic brain of his, when she stopped; was it really worth telling him why she did it? She _**did **_after all have Gene in mind when she had done it. She knew very well that telling Oliver about her righteous judgments would be a waste of her tongue; he hardly understood her at all – and she wasn't very keen to make him understand at this point in time; mainly because she was too worried about Roy. She shook her head, but didn't apologize, she had done that already. She saw the way he raised his eyebrows at her at that, but she didn't really care. She turned silently away from him and looked towards the trees from where Roy would come out shortly, barking and wagging his tail, it made Mai smile.

Roy came bounding out of the forest with a happy leap and launched itself at Oliver again. Mai could have laughed, but she held it in; she didn't really think that laughing at Oliver after being scolded by him would be a very smart choice. She motioned the puppy over and patted him with a delightful smile.

"You should take him back,"

Mai looked up and saw Oliver staring down at Roy with a thoughtful expression.

"The only problem is that I really don't know how to do that," she looked sheepish and worried. If she wasn't able to take him back, Gene would still be upset with her and she didn't want that to happen. She stroked Roy's ears and heaved a helpless sigh.

"Idiot," Oliver called taunting, "I didn't really think that you'd be able to do,"

A vein popped, she didn't really know how much of the non-Mainess she would be able to handle and least of all against Oliver. He could rile her up like no one else could, she hated it, but she couldn't really imagine how it would have been without it; so in a sense she loved it as well. She took in a calming breath and blew it out through her lips.

"Aren't you going to teach me?" she widened her eyes in an innocent way, she didn't really expect it to have any effect on him, but she had to try for added effect.

"Hardly," he looked down at her a little smugly, "It isn't my job to _**baby-sit **_little _**children**_,"

Mai pounded on him viciously, "Oh? And you're going to let Roy stay over here and slop all over your precious notebook?"

She banged her fist in her hand and smirked twistingly at him. She couldn't help but feel a little smug at her own accomplishment of controlling her temper and answering vilely back at him with logical words.

"That hardly concerns you," he stated haughtily, "Apparently, Lin can take care of the dog shit," he smirked down at her, before turning swiftly towards the house and striding away from the silently fuming Mai; who was chewing her tongue to stop it from spouting out all kinds of insults at his retreating back.

"Get back inside, and get this over with quickly,"

Mai turned fuming towards Lin-san; if she didn't vent her anger in any way then she'd surely explode. She let out an angry noise and stomped her foot down with her eyes scrunched up. Feeling a little better she looked over at Roy and then up at Lin-san who was waiting for her patiently.

"Let's do this then," she stated begrudgingly, before following Lin and Roy back into the house. Her socks were ruined and her feet were aching with sores from where she had stepped on rocks and pointy brambles. This fact didn't help her when she realized that Oliver and John had been bare-feet as well. She looked guiltily down at John's feet and reminded herself that she'll give him a nice, warm tub of shampooed water to relieve his feet of the pain. They could dip their feet together; she doubted very much that Oliver would accept her offer of a free manicure and wouldn't be foolish enough to try it.

Lin-san lead her back to the ladies' room and told everybody else not to interrupt them. He told Mai to lie back down on the bed and motioned for her to take Roy in her arms. Curled to her side with Roy snuggled cozily against her body, she couldn't help but welcome the warmth that Roy presented. And all she had to do was for Lin-san instructions.

She watched as he opened his mouth to initiate the paranormal phenomena when a voice from the doorway made them look up. Oliver was standing in the doorway with blank expression on his face.

"Make this short," he said in a careless voice, "She already had enough sleep as it is,"

Lin nodded his head and Oliver exited the room. Putting Mai in a trance wouldn't really be all that difficult; Lin had known the girl for five years and during that time if he found anything, it was the fact that she was a heavy sleeper. He told her to take deep calming breaths while telling her to keep Roy's presence strong in her mind and body. He then followed by telling her to relax her limbs and neck and release any tension that was held in them.

She complied to his voice, feeling sleepy and groggy, her neck fell limp onto Roy's head; her whole body falling lead as she felt herself, and another vermillion colored energy, sinking down to where Gene was…

**A/N: Hello People! Thank you to everybody who read and reviewed for the last chapter. It really meant a lot that you enjoyed the chapter…it really did =)**

**I really appreciate the fact that people read and like my stories, even though I'm not the most perfect of writers. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, hehehe ^_^**

**Anyways, I updated the author's note for the last chapter as well, since I forgot to mention what the numbered things stood for; feel free to check it out if you want to. **

**Besides that, I have a simple request of my readers and reviewers:**

**Can you tell me how my characterization is? It's something that I need to work on and any helpful insights would be really helpful. **

**My main concern, of course, is Oliver. Since I'm writing about his feelings, it could tend to be OOC; I apologize if it is as such**. **Could you tell me if I'm doing a good job with that or not? **

**And not just his, but Mai as well – she's a fairly easy character to write, but it tends to get sort of unbelievable at my hands; since she's so cheerful and all. I tried to make her more believable in this chapter and the effort will continue in the next chapter as well. **

**Regarding the other characters, I know they haven't been getting as much screen-time as I hoped, but I'll work on them none-the-less. ^_^**

**So stay tuned for the next chapter, next week…**

**Thank you! =D**


	5. Path Of Blood

**Love Bound:**

**Case 2: Night Calling**

**Chapter 5: Path of Blood:**

**March 13:**

**Day 1:**

**11:30am:**

"_Gene…" Mai stood up as she saw him approach her. Roy bounded in after Gene who had a pensive expression on his face as he looked down at her. Mai looked curiously back at him; in the light of the revelation that she could become a perfect medium, Gene had changed slightly. The change was only visible now, as she looked at the light that could be seen in those beautiful blue eyes of his, in the sense that he had taken on the honorary role of a teacher; and she had become the none-the-wiser pupil of a teenage boy who was six years her junior. Yet, he had more knowledge of what was happening to her then she did herself. _

_To see that thoughtful expression of his made her feel like a pupil who had done work beyond her own talents. She knew that she wasn't exceptionally talented, but when she put her mind to a task she could do it with a focused mind and hard work – even though the result may not be up to some people's expectations (read: Oliver). The man was as strict and vile as any University professor with a brittle bottle moustache and thick spectacles that looked ready to fit a nearly blinded man. Compared to the two, she had no doubt who she would choose as her personal teacher; Gene wouldn't be your average University teacher. Exceptionally young and handsome, he would be the type that every girl in the University would have crushes on, a thing, she had no doubt, that Oliver would have in common with as well. The only real difference between the two would be their personality and she knew the type of personality that she liked better – regardless of her feelings. _

"_Is something wrong?" she asked with a tone that clearly said that she was suspicious of his train of thought. He blinked down calmly at her, a gentle expression on his face, before a small smile pulled at his lips and he began with a 'teacher' tone. _

"_No, not really," he lapsed into silence again. This silence made her squirm with discomfort; Gene wasn't as quiet as this, and the silence between them was something that she wasn't used to. Feeling slightly annoyed, she waved a hand in the air to stress the words that flowed from her lips. _

"_Then why are you giving me that expression?" she glared down at him, but he remained unfazed and unaffected as he voiced his next words carefully. _

"_**What **__expression?" he looked rather innocently down at her. Mai couldn't help but feel that he was messing around with her. Gene was known to be a troublemaker, and that sweet and gentle 'mask' that he put on was no better than Oliver's cold and harsh one – they were twins after all, even if they were opposite twins. It didn't really come across to her that they might really have something in common, they were too opposite for their own good. Oliver loved to pull her leg, and now Gene was doing the same to her, though in a much more polite way then she would have imagined. _

"_You're pulling my leg, aren't you?" she voiced out with a bit of aggravation. He smiled down at her; her heartbeat just went up a notch. _

"_You did it again," he chuckled lightly. Gene may be naïve in some ways, but reading Mai wasn't one of them. He exceptionally liked the girl, especially since they shared almost the same thinking; he wouldn't say that he loved the girl as more then a friend and Noll was just a big idiot for thinking that there was something going on between them. He hadn't really expected to find what he found in that big brain of his; the fact that he had been surprised would be an understatement. It wasn't everyday that your idiot scientist of a twin brother got attracted to certain charming young girls around his own age; and he was still finding it hard to believe. _

_There was also the fact of Noll avoiding him now that he had found out what his secret had been. He knew his brother the best, but the time that he had been asleep had brought in him some changes that he wished to get to know better – to put it simple, he missed his dear brother; his aloofness was not helping him deal with the loneliness that his absence presented. He knew that Noll would be feeling the same way and if he didn't get off of that high horse of his, he would surely resent it later on. Noll had never been the wisest of people; that area belonged to Mai. _

_Even now, if he voiced out that Noll was avoiding him, Mai would grasp at it as anything and would understand his situation to the best extent, it was a very lovable quality, despite her countless flaws; nobody was perfect. Mai would ensure that the message gets across to Noll and, most possibly, give him a good lecture about it as well – which would, he had no doubt, enlighten his dear brother to the fact that he was committing an immature act; no matter how bad he would try to keep it under the carpet. _

_He wasn't really sure which of them Mai loved, but he had no problem being loved by a simple and pretty girl like Mai. The thing that he was worried about was the fact that Noll would have tried to severe his contact with Mai. He had absolutely no experience in this area, and the unusual arousal of his feelings would have certainly had a toll on Noll's thinking of the girl. Which was very sad indeed; love was just too complicated for a man like Noll who understood almost everything that the world had to offer, except a fair few things. Right now, his feelings would be at the top of the list._

_Gene didn't really except Noll to understand love, and to just act on the feelings of attraction. It was also true that he wouldn't ignore them once he realized that he had indeed fallen for the girl. He would still be tangled in the intricate web of confusion until he just gave up on understanding it and simply enjoyed the thing that God had bestowed upon him. This would really take a painstakingly long time. _

_He didn't really know the amount of pull that Mai had on him as of now, but he hoped that his brother would confide in him at least once. That would lead to Gene's own futile attempts to infiltrate that mind of his, and hopefully he wouldn't have to keep the effort up for long. _

"_Are you proud of me, sensei?" Mai's joking voice rang in his ears and he looked up to see a sloppy grin plastered on her face. He chuckled lightly, his eyes going softer then before. _

"_Yes, very much, my devotee," he bowed lightly towards her. He would be her teacher from now on – a relationship that he really wanted to work on; and see how far and wide he could take her. In a way, she would be continuing his line of legacy, and he couldn't have been gladder that his knowledge would continue even after he finally passed on. The idea saddened him slightly, but he knew that he didn't belong in this world anymore and he would surely have to move on after Mai's training was complete. He just wished to talk to Noll once again…_

"_Don't call me that, you're younger then me," Mai's annoyed and aggravated voice made him laugh. He wasn't surprised that Mai lost track of her own words so easily. _

"_You're the one who called me 'sensei'," he gave her a smile which he hoped would look like a 'teacher' smile. Mai looked annoyed and scrunched up her face in disgust. _

"_Whatever," _

_One would expect the bad mood to linger in the girl; what most people didn't know was that she possessed a fickle nature – a very fickle nature. Making Roy disappear in the beginning, Mai also had a lack of distraction and Kohana wasn't here, either. It wasn't that she didn't like Gene, but she wasn't too keen on being subject to a tedious lecture just yet. Also, remembering that Oliver had told her not to stay for too long. _

"_Naru didn't want me to stay for very long," she stated, trying to conceal the hope within her voice. She was caught off-guard, however, when she saw his blue eyes darkening, his long eye-lashes casting a shadow under his eye. When she blinked and opened her eyes, the darkening had vanished under a veil of calmness. She could, still, make out the tiny wrinkles around the edges of his eyes, which told her all she needed to know – Oliver had a bigger reason for keeping her away. _

"_Is something wrong?" she asked with subtlety, her eyebrows furrowed slightly and her lips going down in worry. She watched carefully for any give-away, but his cool and calm face remained intact and he stared at her for awhile, before he chose to respond. _

"_He's worried," he stated bluntly, choosing his words carefully and intricately. The fact that Noll didn't want Mai to stay for too long with him was proof of the fact that he, indeed, was feeling __**something **__towards the girl. What he hadn't expected was that Noll could, very possibly, be jealous of him. The idea would have been funny and cute if the situation hadn't looked so bad for his brother. He was struggling with an inner turmoil, to choose him over Mai. To him it looked as though that Noll hadn't thought that choosing his brother would have been a difficult task; he was proved wrong by his actions – he wanted Mai back, quickly. _

_This was getting more and more complicated with each thought. Gene wasn't sure that his brother even had the ability to love someone other than his own family, let alone a simple-minded girl like Mai. And, he was sure, that Noll had been of similar mind. Not only did Noll think that the girl was in love with him, but he also thought that he (Gene) also felt the same way; which would have brought on the feelings of resentment, aggravation, denials, and general confusion on Noll's behalf. All of which would have been unforgiveable in Noll's mind and heart. In Noll's mind, he wasn't supposed to think of his brother in such a way, and more so since he was dead. Or think of the girl (that Gene loved) in much the same way that he was thinking as of now._

_Noll was struggling badly, and in a way that Gene wouldn't have expected – over a girl and himself (Gene). Which leads him back to the question of how much Mai was drawing him in and why she was drawing him in. Gene had no doubt that his brother's developing feelings weren't voluntary, which made it safe to say that Noll was falling in love in the old-fashioned way – involuntary and confusing. He was also certain of the fact that he was fighting this; for a number of reasons, which were all more than enough to quell his feelings but were failing miserably at their desired effect. These number of reasons included his own inexperience and discomfort in the area, the conflict of giving room to someone else in his life other then Gene, his belief that Mai loved him (Gene) and vice versa, his other belief that love was non-existent and illogical without scientific evidence and the idea of developing an intimate relationship with somebody. _

_Noll had always despised physical closeness and Gene knew for certain that the physical aspect of a relationship would have sent him reeling backwards from the thing that presented it – in this case, Mai. This was both his brother's concern as well as his own. Whatever the situation, he didn't want Mai to suffer the backtracks of Noll's feelings instead of progress in their friendship. Noll's actions will, no doubt, become suspicious to Mai (eventually) and she would face Noll about them, and present a situation which Noll would give anything to avoid – the topic of his feelings. _

_He wished that he could talk to Noll and take away his confusions and heartache, but he knew that Noll wouldn't want to discuss it. Come to think of it, he knew that even if Noll's confusion about them (Gene and Mai) was cleared, he would still not act on his feelings and risk falling into the restraints of things that he would never want to face. Maybe, just maybe if Mai felt the same way about him, and he loved her enough, he would have try to do something with their relationship – Noll may be inexperienced, but he wasn't a complete idiot as well._

"_Why?" _

_Gene blinked once, quickly recalling what had been said between each other. He gave a disheartened sigh and shook his head, the lie that he was about to speak was necessary, but he couldn't quite help but feel a little a guilty at it none-the-less. _

"_The memories here are devastating," _

_Mai drowned in his words like sugar and widened her eyes slightly. _

"_I see," she looked worriedly at him, "But that's my job, isn't it?" she looked slightly exasperated, rolling her eyes and continuing her rant, "Isn't that why he decided to keep me after he returned? I mean, I would have been no use if I hadn't been able to do what I do," she looked sad and pained as she said those words and Gene couldn't help but feel a little annoyed at her own low self-esteem. _

"_You're being modest, Mai" he patted her head lightly, "Noll may be an idiot scientist, but he knew just what the SPR meant to you. He may not show it, but I'm sure he must have seen other uses in you besides your ability," he gave a small smile, "It wouldn't be right if you got hurt while doing your 'job'," _

_Mai looked pleased, but tried to hide it under an embarrassed smile, "You really think so?" _

"_That's right," his smile vanished as he said the next words, "You should go back," _

_Mai nodded at his words and gave a sigh. _

"_I'll see you later," she gave a smile, "Bye," _

"_Good-bye, Mai," _

_Mai stared at his fading form with curiosity, for some reason she couldn't help but feel that they had left on an unfinished note…_

Mai's eyes fluttered slightly as she verged on the edge of consciousness.

"You're awake," Lin-san's voice cut through her ears and she opened her eyes, blinking several times as she focused on the blurry ceiling with furrowed eyes; she groaned slightly and sat up. Lin-san was standing in front of her, with Kohana perched gently on his shoulder.

"How long was I out?" she asked, rubbing her eyes and then staring grouchily at him. Indifferent timings of sleep didn't suit her, especially since she already spent a lot of time with Gene when she had fainted.

"Just under five minutes,' he stared blankly down at her, his eyes twinkling slightly.

"Did Naru come back?"

"No," he looked at her for a few moments before, "You should get up, Naru must be waiting for us,"

"Yes, yes,"

Mai stood up, "But, this case seems impossible, what does he want me to do anyway? Lay eggs for breakfast?"

She followed a slightly amused Lin outside the door and towards the base. Her objection was reasonable, only Lin and Monk could venture out to the trees and the investigation seemed to be restricted because of that. Even then, the dangers of the forest seemed to be unprecedented and unknown. Lin, himself, had felt the countless roaming of agonized spirits that had died over the time and the only question that they seemed to present was what had done that to them?

He knew that Oliver wasn't stupid, but he was still human and his knowledge about the creature was just as limited as everybody else, if not much more aware of them. Given the situation, he doubted that Oliver would like to use any of the younger people to venture out to the forest and see what they could find about the place. And night-time roaming would be off the count, since it had already been seen that the disappearances had occurred only and only then.

Approaching his young boss, he was met with a nod and a small glance in Mai's direction; she seemed to be oddly preoccupied by something. The far-away look in her eyes was proof of the fact that something held her undivided attention. Oliver's eyes seemed to note the fact before his eyes went back to the note-book in his hand.

"What was it like in the forest?" Oliver's eyes went to land on Lin again as he tapped his foot absent-mindedly on the floor, the chair creaking with his movements. He had the expression reminiscent of The Thinker, his chin resting on his fist; the few exceptions being the pen in his hand and the black notebook in his lap. Lin didn't have any doubts that the man would have presented out to be an extraordinary art sculpture that artists would have killed to gain, suppressing his bemused grin he answered with a hallow tone.

"Lots of agonized spirits; the number both shocked and disturbed me,"

He watched as Oliver jotted this piece of information down in his book, before looking back up at him. He seemed to present a rather curious expression and he seemed to be appraising the situation.

"How much danger does it present for you and Takigawa-san?" his words were laced delicately and with refinement, not hinting on anything else as should have been the case with other not-so-secretive people. Feeling a little wary he replied with as much as a caution as he could muster.

"Maybe not so much during the day-time, but night-time wanderings should not be considered. Whatever is haunting this forest, hunts only at night-time and much caution should be used even during the day-time. I cannot assess what the dangers would be at this point, but the best I can guess is that the hallucinations would keep us trapped in," he heaved a small sigh, "I think it is advisable that you should use me and Takigawa-san since we are capable of protecting ourselves and we have had more experience in such sort of things,"

Oliver looked up at him with a cold expression, "That was my plan from the beginning. But do tell that you won't be placed in too much of a trouble?" said with aloofness and a blunt tone. Lin could have smirked, Oliver could never state his concern very-well; not that he would have ever mentioned it in public or with open and careless words. But Lin more than that, the boy did have a heart – cold and harsh one, but a heart none-the-less. He would never want his 'friends' or acquaintances would have been a better word to get hurt; they were the closest things to friends he has ever possessed and he couldn't help but think that company of his own age had done him some good.

Having been revered and respected for his accomplishments at such a young age had gone to his head, and in such a way that it seemed a little too unhealthy. Having met the SPR (Mai in general) had brought him back down to Earth, but hadn't been able to quell that adamant pride that Mai had hurt on several occasions (and paid the price for as well).

Giving a wry smile he stated, "We can protect ourselves,"

Oliver looked displeased as he glared slightly at him, "Whatever; you still won't be going in unsupervised,"

Lin wanted to ask why he had sent them unsupervised in the first try, but held in his unusually decisive tongue back; was having Mai around effective in such a way? He gave a small sigh, it was better not to address the effects that Mai has on people; the girl was too charming for her own good. Possibly, that could be the reason why he had grown so fond of her over the years. She had squirmed inside his heart in a way that he hadn't really expected her to, and his general neutral feelings towards her had mounted to that of respect for her countless of endearing qualities. In short, she had come to the closest thing he could ever call a daughter.

"Right,"

Lin moved away to inspect the monitors for any new activity – the cameras that he had set up giving him live feed through the satellite. The green images on the monitors showed him the several trees creeping around in the close distance. He narrowed his eyes, there was something smeared on the trees and the ground, leading out of the field of the camera's range.

"Naru," he called urgently, "There's something here,"

Lin heard the slide of a chair and Oliver was beside him in a second. Oliver watched the smeared the green liquid with his own version of narrowed eyes.

"It wasn't there when we set up the cameras," he paused uncertainly, "What do you think it is?"

Oliver straightened and cupped his chin thoughtfully, "Whatever it is, it leads out to somewhere; we have to find out where," he turned away and looked over at where Mai was dragging out a tub full of steaming water out towards the back of the house with John's help, "Do it now, before we lose sight of it,"

"Right," he stood up and called urgently, "Takigawa-san,"

Monk stood up, having heard the conversation that had gone on between the two and nodded his head. Lin grabbed two flashlights and passed one over to Monk, he caught it swiftly and hurried over to where his shoes lay out near the entrance of the shoji doors. Mai looked curiously up at them as they whizzed past her and John and out towards the forest.

The forest was just as it had been the last time, dark and gloomy. They sprinted on the familiar path, dodging trees and the likes and hurrying towards the place where their next biggest clue was held. No words were exchanged between the two as they panted and their legs cramped up with the effort of running. Whatever lay beyond them was voiced out by a strange humming in the air, that vibrated through their skulls and made them shiver with cold sweat. Takigawa readjusted his grip on the torch in his hands and gazed determinedly ahead of the light mist that surrounded them from all four sides. If it grew any thicker then it would be a problem for them to make their way back towards the house and, possibly, lose sight of each other as well. Adjusting the headphones that had been tossed to them by Oliver, he waited for his cold voice to flow through and demand for an update. Though, he didn't think that Oliver would like to listen to their hot panting breaths right in his ears. He would have liked very well to do so just to annoy the rigid narcissist, but decided against the impulse to press on the small button due to the severe nature of their venture – it was not time for fun and play. And Oliver would just know how to show that to him once he got back inside the house.

Reaching the place where they had set up the cameras, they caught up with their breaths. Regaining their breaths, they looked around the ground and at the trees and found what they were looking for – blood.

Takigawa's headphone buzzed slightly and Oliver's clear voice flowed through it, no doubt that he could see them through the cameras that they had placed in the morning.

"What's the situation?"

Takigawa stared at the crimson liquid on the ground, it was dark, almost black and he couldn't help but feel a tingle of discomfort go down his spine.

"It's blood,"

"As expected," Oliver's voice was a mutter, as though voicing it to himself than anybody else. Feeling the need to justify the liquid he stated in a serious tone.

"It's dark, almost black,"

A moment of silence –

"I see," he paused and Takigawa waited for any further instructions with a bated breath, "Follow it, but don't lost sight of each other. Remain in physical contact,"

Monk gave a glance towards the Chinese man and saw his blank expression, he heaved a small sigh; holding hands with Lin – awkward. But he knew more then to voice out his discomfort, Oliver lash out on him like a jaguar and it was best to follow orders then fall victim to this wretched place. Monk held out his left hand towards him and saw the slight raising of an eyebrow as he switched the torch in his other hand and grabbed his hand almost delicately. Monk couldn't help but give a victorious small smile, he worked best with his right hand and the torch would have been precarious in the other – so just do it first and expect the others to follow.

Trudging out on the path of blood was like walking towards a graveyard, anticipation and fear trudging along inside his heart. The silence that hung around the forest was not helping him remain calm and he just had to ask.

"Do you feel that?" his voice quiet – a whisper, glancing at Lin-san briefly to see his reaction.

"The spirits sense us," he gazed around the forest with a frown, "They possess restlessness and that energy is affecting us," he paused, "They are displeased,"

Takigawa heaved a nervous breath gazing with a serious expression at him, before looking in ahead in front of him.

"Where do you think this leads to?"

"It is difficult to say this early in time,"

They lapsed into silence and continued to follow the path to God knows where. As they walked deeper and deeper, the trees seemed to thicken and draw closer and closer, making it difficult to maneuver since they were holding each others' hands, and Monk saw it fair for Lin to lead instead of him. The protection that his shiki provided would do them good if he had more sense of what was approaching them instead of him.

The absence of animals and birds was also suspicious – had they been victim to the haunting as well? There was something else that he noticed as well – the blood seemed to grow in quantity as well and he could make out the slight traces of its smell, now of all times. Which was strange, since he should have smelled it a long time before this – whatever this was, it wasn't normal blood. Looking over his shoulder he stared at the blood with a pensive expression.

"The trees are thinning,"

Lin's voice made him snap out of his reverie and he looked back up at him with surprise. He looked around; indeed, the trees had thinned to a certain amount and it was then that he felt the buzz of his headphone again and this time Mai's worried voice filled his ears – he felt better all of a sudden.

"Are you guys alright?" she sounded breathless and Monk heard a certain amount of annoyance and anger in her voice as she spoke – did she fight with Oliver? "Naru didn't tell me anything," she sounded hectic now.

"It's alright; we're fine," he said in a calming voice. He heard her give a huge sigh of relief before she talked again.

"What happened? You guys had run off to the forest like that! Do you know how _**dangerous**_ it is in there?" she sounded pissed off now. Monk held in a chuckle as he heard her – hadn't she done the same a few hours ago?

"We spotted a path of blood; we went out to investigate it before it disappeared,"

He heard her sharp intake of breath and then they heard an indignant yell as Oliver's voice took over hers. They could still hear her in the background.

"Keep quiet, Mai," they heard Oliver's voice laced with annoyance as he said the next few lines, "How's it looking?"

Lin sighed, before he chose to answer (Monk was too amused to say anything), "The trees are thinning, I think the lake is close by,"

"Talk when you get there,"

"Right,"

"Naru, let me talk," –

The final beep at the other end and Monk let out a small chuckle. Mai definitely knew how to cheer him up even if she wasn't here in person. He heaved a small sigh, as his surroundings came crashing back over him and he went into his serious mode again.

A glimmer of silver –

"Is that the lake?"

The Monk asked, as he trailed his light over the blood and saw that it, indeed, leads to the lake. The trees finally ended, the rest of the path leading onto the bed of the lake and inside the lake. He felt a tug on his hand and followed Lin down to where the path ended. Monk looked closely over at Lin and saw furrowed eyebrow and curious expression.

The lake was a dark blue mass of murky depths, and from which exuded a strange smell – it was slightly putrid, like urine and he scrunched up his nose in disgust.

"It's strange…"

Monk looked at him steadily before he looked over to where Lin had been staring – the middle of the lake, where his light had been pointed.

"What is?"

He felt Lin-san's hand tighten over his and he turned to look at him with an expression that Monk hated to see – disturbed.

"There's no activity here," he inhaled sharply, "No spirits, just a sense of dread…and hunger,"

He buzzed on the speaker and spoke, "We're here,"

"Is it dangerous?"

"I can't say," He tensed up his shoulders and gazed at the lake, "I don't think that this unknown entity is aware of our position or not,"

There was silence, then –

"Can you do anything as of now?"

"My shiki aren't too keen on it. Whatever this is, it isn't a normal spirit. What do you suggest that we do for now?"

"Head back; we shouldn't risk anything,"

"Right,"

They heard the ending buzz and were about to head back. The silence rung in their ears and Monk couldn't help but feel relieved as they turned their backs on the lake and headed towards safety. A chilly wind blew past them as Monk couldn't hold in his shiver as they climbed back up the bed. Monk looked back over at the lake, when he lost interest he gazed back in front of him.

_**A small ripple broke across the water… **_

Mai ran out towards the Monk and Lin and crushed herself to the Monk's body. She had been really worried about them, and knew that if they had stayed in there for any longer than they did, they would have been in some trouble. She would have blamed Oliver if that would have happened, and fortunately, he had been smart enough to head her warning.

She sighed heavily as Monk wrapped his arms around her and patted her shoulders gently; his banana scent relieving her senses as she sank lower in his arms. She drew back after a while and grabbed Lin-san's hand. Leading them both inside the house and forcing them to sit down at the kotatsu and giving them steaming cups of red tea.

"I thought that something was going to happen," Mai collapsed next to Oliver with shaking legs, "Thank _**goodness**_, you two made it back in time,"

"Aside that," Oliver began, "What did you see,"

"The blood trail lead _**into **_the lake," Lin stated with a slight frown, "There wasn't any spirit activity there as well. That's what worried me,"

"You think that the entity is inside of the lake?"

"Most probably,"

He gave a meaningful look, knowing that Oliver would understand the seriousness of that statement. He saw comprehension in his eyes and he nodded his head at Oliver.

"Inside?" Mai looked contemplative as she said that, "Do you think that the bodies are inside the lake?"

She gave a disgusted expression and fiddled with her hands slightly. The others exchanged looks as they heard those words.

"The blood lead out into the lake, so we could assume that the bodies (or lack thereof), are inside the lake," Oliver began with a curious expression as he stared down at her.

"The main question here is, how do we find out that what it is and how to stop it," – Lin.

Lin saw Oliver's eyes shift over to Mai with a contemplative expression. Was he really thinking of using Mai? That would put a serious threat to Mai – and at her fragile stage as well. He glared down at the young charge and chided sternly.

"Absolutely not, Noll," he tightened his grip on his trousers, "You do realize the danger that this situation presents?"

Oliver stared coldly at him, "You have some other suggestion?"

Mai and Monk shared a look – what were they talking about?  
>"What exactly are you two on about?" Monk asked thoughtfully. Oliver glared resolutely at Lin who glared back with as much as an intensity he could collect.<p>

"We'll ensure protection," Oliver had meant that as a note of finality and made to stand up when Lin punched the kotatsu in anger and stood up as well.

"This isn't a game, Noll," he said that with accusation, "Mai is in a very fragile stage of her power – you are being selfish if you are thinking of using her in a situation as this,"

Sparks flew between the two and Mai stared blankly at Oliver's cold and rude expression – did he really want to use her? Then what had Gene been on about? That Oliver was worried – that he didn't want her to get hurt? Had that been a lie? She felt Oliver's eyes stare into hers and she looked blankly back at him.

"I'm sure that Mai is more than capable of the job. She did astral project Roy in the real world – a feat that should have been impossible if she didn't share a connection with Gene," his eyes hardened, "Or didn't have the right amount of power – I'm sure that her powers more part in it then her connection with Gene," he paused, "I see no reason why she wouldn't be able to do it under his guidance and our watchful eye," he raised an eyebrow at Lin, "She has been training for such things, has she not?" his voice had a slight hint of venom and he turned back towards Mai with a commanding voice that she had never expected him to use against her.

"Are you up for it?"

Mai just stared blankly at him…

**A/N: I was really feeling the writer inside of me as I wrote out this chapter. I had real fun doing that, and I hope that it was an improvement…B/C I feel like it is, and I couldn't have been happier! =D**

**Thank you to everybody who read the last chapter and reviewed for it. **

**Just pray that I keep improving, and you'll get better chapters. :P**

**Hehehe, stay tuned for the next one…Bye-bye! **

**Read and Review! **


	6. Memories

**Love Bound:**

**Case 2: Night Calling**

**Chapter 6:**

**Memories:**

**March 13:**

**Day 1:**

**08:30pm:**

Sitting on the veranda with her legs dangling down, Mai gazed at the forest with a lost eye. It had been several hours since Oliver had asked her of the job and Mai hadn't really known what she should have expected. If it was one thing, then she had never expected Oliver to speak to her with such a voice that he had done – unfamiliar and unrecognizable. They had been friends, albeit who squabbled a whole lot, but friends none-the-less. Their relationship was something precarious – a thing to be handled with care, if not with a certain limit. That's what they had always done – drawn a line and stayed precariously there (breaking it sometimes, as well), not wanting their friendship to suffer; it was something that held value in both of their lives, if not more so in her own. She knew the value that she had as a friend to Oliver, even though she could get under his skin like no one else could. He had, on some occasions, shown that he cared for her and everybody else whom she called a family. It _**had**_ been something that she knew had been there, but was well-hidden; emerging on rare occasions and setting everything on fire.

It was something, she had realized then, that told her that Oliver did have the 'Gene' in him and Gene also had the 'Oliver' in him. It had always gotten her heart racing, but on the several occasions that he wouldn't budge she had found herself giving up on that fact he _**could**_ care. It was a habit that she had never been able to get rid of, even though Oliver had pointed this out several times and also told her to work on it.

She had made _**some **_progress in their relationship, but it was something that she had wished to venture out to be more than a friendship, but she had known how futile it had been for him to return her feelings – he just wasn't that kind of guy. She had always known that she had been important to him (in a platonic sense), but the way he had spoken and the way that he had looked down at her with contempt in his eyes had told her of a different story.

His eyes had been ice cold and narrowed down in a challenging way, his lips had been pulled down slightly in distaste and his jaw had been taut and set. Even if they were on a case, he had no right to treat her in such a way and ask (read: order) for a favor in such an arrogant manner. Her heart had thudded wildly in small needle-like sensations of pain; the sound of it had resounded loudly in her head. Even now she could feel the familiar on comings of those emotions.

Challenging each other had always been a part of their relationship, and they both had been stubborn in their rights – it was one of those things that they had in common; they were so much alike that they were different. It was something that they had grown used to overtime, and expected of each other as well. It held such a major part that they couldn't have one conversation where a taunt wasn't directed at each other, with Oliver always having the last and final word in his favor.

He was always rude and condescending, but it had never been as something to what he had shown then – dislike. Her heart had thudded more wildly and she had been lost to this world and her own. Had she been given another situation and another…Oliver, she would have accepted the challenge with stupendous force and vigor of her own, but right then she had felt blank and at a loss for any coherent words or thoughts – the reality hadn't sunken in then.

She had seen him open those perfectly shaped lips of his and utter those four words that made all the walls crumble around her and she had lurched, jerking, into reality, "Are you a coward?"

Whatever had caused him to change his feelings for her didn't excuse her of the fact that she had been presented with a challenge by him. Just like everything else, they had sought to prove each other wrong; what else had been expected of her, then? Oliver had given her an open opportunity in which she could have proved him wrong, and if possible, even have the last word in this battle of theirs for once; but, would it really be worth it if, as Lin had claimed, it posed a serious threat to her?

They had needed to investigate. The forest was much too much dangerous and she had seemed like the only one who could venture out and gain information on whatever lurked in the lake. With Gene's guidance and everybody's watchful eye could she really pull this off without, possibly, dying? To say that would have meant that she didn't hold true in their abilities to protect her, but if it was one thing that she had learned it was the fact that the spiritual world was full of dangerous surprises. Could they still pull this off, if that were the case?

The disappearances would have continued if they failed, but at the extent of her own life? Mai was a woman who cherished every life that the world had to offer, and that included her own as well. She knew just how lucky she was that she had been granted this life and lived it for such a long time as well, when her own parents had died while she had lived. The life that they had given birth to was alive with a pumping heart and a working brain. Their blood ran in her own, filling her with memories of her childhood and the smell that lingered around her own mother – of sweet cinnamon and lavenders; something she missed and hallucinated of smelling when she was alone in her own apartment.

Would it really be worth it if she sacrificed that precious life of hers?

She hadn't registered the disgusted words that Lin-san had uttered as she had decided her answer; she had stared defiantly at him with fiery eyes.

"I'll do it," a taunting smirk had lingered on her lips, mocking and jeering at him. But something had changed in his eyes, and just like everything else about him, she hadn't been able to read nor understand what it had been. What she had been able to make out was the slight darkening of his blue pupils and the shadow of his long eyelashes that had fallen under his eyes.

What had followed other than that had been the din-wrecking uproar that had been presented by the other members of SPR, and even Masako had made a snide comment that had been directed at Oliver. Mai heaved a huge sigh. She knew that they had been overly concerned with her well-being and she appreciated that they cared, she really did – if being an orphan had taught her something it was the fact that she should cherish everybody's company as long as it was there to rein and live. They had known her too well, thus their objections to her decision. They hadn't even given her any chance to voice out her decision against them. They knew just how selfless she was, how she cared for everybody more than herself, they admired her selflessness but envied her for the charm that it presented, and despised it as well – like they had done at that time.

It had taken a considerable amount of time till she had quelled their arguments with her steadfastness. Her afterword had left a bitter taste that she hoped would diminish with the end of this case. It was also the sole reason why everybody was ignoring her, but that had done nothing to guarantee her of the fact that they would leave her alone once they encountered her – reprimanding her and showering her with reproachful looks. She guessed that Oliver would have had it worse than her, but she knew just how much back-bone that narcissist carried, which made her jealous of the fact – sometimes, like right now. Mai cared about what everybody thought and their opinions was something that she considered – which made her grateful of the fact that she was being ignored.

Having been defeated by Mai and Oliver, they had disbanded with their respective tasks that the man in question had told them to do. Takigawa had been told to call Ayako ahead to prepare several protective charms and then go and fetch them till he had enough of them to garner a generous amount of protectiveness. Masako had been told to keep an eye on the spiritual activity and report every half-hour on the situation. John on the other hand had been told to bless the house again and ensure that no spirits entered the boundary during the time that they were setting up – he and Masako had been told to pair up. Lin and Yasuhara were making the major preparations of carrying out the task – the stoic man in question was leaving no nook and cranny unhinged while he tried to keep his aggravation under the bay.

And Mai had been told to meditate and keep her emotions and thoughts separated and under-control. That was what she had been doing before she had snuck out to the veranda to escape the stuffy interior. Having done in several hours of meditation she had been overly surprised and shocked when a curious voice – a voice that wasn't her own – had filtered through her mind as clear as any person's would have had they been standing right next to her. She had gasped and jumped so badly that she had gone sprawling on her back. The voice had chuckled in a way that garnered her slight annoyance and she had asked what he was doing there…after all, they had never been able to talk while she was awake. He hadn't given up on anything, saying that he was still working on trying to figure the anomaly out.

He had left leaving her muddled and confused, the hours that she had spent trying to remain calm had plunged down the drain by the small glitch. She had been exasperated and annoyed and the on comings of restlessness had done nothing but distract her from her task. She had given up on the meditation then, which had been ten minutes ago. Which made her wonder how long it would be till she was discovered by one of her team members.

Mai wasn't really scared; just a slight roll of the stomach that told of nervousness and tension. She had had too many similar experiences and she was no longer the scared, running teenager that she had been when she had first joined the SPR. She was stronger, more capable, and braver then she could have ever hoped for – but that didn't mean that she was completely fearless – she never had been. She had always been like that; only her loss and pain had taught her to be brave and even then she had had her breakdowns and feelings of helplessness.

She had never been like her mother. Her mother had been brave and capable after her father had died when she was just four years old. She had faced a new morning after the tragic car accident had taken her future from beneath her feet. They had changed residencies, not having the income to live there anymore. She had taken on several jobs and gone through hardships that Mai had never dreamed of then and took them on the level of stability. It was only when she had grown older that she had started realizing the hardships that her mother faced each day to feed her, keep her clothed, and ensure her education and a housed roof over her head. It had been five years after her father had died that she had started helping her mother around in any way that would have lifted the visible burden that hung on her shoulders.

It had been three years later, when she was twelve years old that her mother had taken her warmth and love to a new house where she only had the darkness for company – her grave. It had been such a long time since then, but it was a memory that she longed to forget. She had just come home from school, and had been in a chirper mood – she had attained a good grade in a subject that she had failing at miserably – Chemistry. It had been due to her mother's hardship that she had attained a good grade; her mother had sat her down after her abysmal last score and cleared her concepts and confusions about the things that she had found difficult. She hadn't noticed the stark absence of her mother, Mai being the naïve creature that she was. It wasn't till she had searched all the rooms of their two roomed apartment that her laughter and smiled had disappeared to be replaced by that of worry and disappointment. She had gone on to ask her neighbors for her mother's whereabouts, and visited the areas where she worked. It was when she was heading back home that she noticed the gathering of a crowd around a scene of an accident.

Curious, she had trudged past the several bodies of whispering people to where she could have a clear view of what was happening. She had looked past the ruckus of the blue car and to the broken body of a brown-haired middle-aged woman who was being looked over by paramedics. Several police officers were ushering the crowd of people away; she had frozen when she had recognized the torn clothes on the broken body. Her time had seemed to stop then and there; her heart had stopped thudding and her brain had blanked out. The rushing sound of reality had been triggered by the cry of pain that had left the figure on ground, and Mai had felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes and the huge bulge that had formed in her throat. She had rushed forwards, unconsciously screaming her mother's name over and over again; she had even dodged the hand of the police officer that had made to stop her from crossing the yellow line that separated her from the thing that had given her life.

She had collapsed by her mother's body while tears had run thick down her eyes. She had grasped for the broken hand that still held the warmth and love when it trailed in her hair and patted her goodnight every night since she was a baby. She had searched her mother's eyes for any form of life, realizing then just how much care and tenderness those eyes had held just for her, what she had found was recognition when they had fallen on her similar brown eyes – in looks, she had always been like her mother.

She had seen the arm that had wiped her tears in the past, rise from the ground in a shaking and trembling fit and had wiped the tears that had cascaded down her face during that time – the action had only rendered on the flowing of more tears. Her mother had seemed distraught because of her tears – she had always been. Mai had pleaded for her to not leave, her words being interrupted by her uncontrollable sobs. Mai had felt that she could have died then and there – the pain in her heart stretching her on the brink of insanity.

Her mother had assured her, despite her obvious pain that she would always be looking over her with her father. She had groped helplessly in her breast pocket till she had held the key to their old house in her hand. She had asked for Mai to reach out and take it, and Mai had grasped the key with vacillating hands. Her mother had attempted to smile, to assure of her safety and peacefulness. It had been then that the life that had always lingered in her eyes – her soul, had died out right in front of Mai's eyes. Mai had screamed like a banshee when she had realized what had happened. The paramedics had pulled her aside after then, and moved forwards to try to resurrect the life that she had never been able to let go of for several years. It had been at her funeral that she had last seen her mother; her pictures and videotapes had become a source of life – an addiction, a reassurance of her presence and existence – that she had existed, that she had loved Mai, that she had cared for her, and made her dinner with those loving hands, that she had never been alone in her life – _that she still wasn't alone in her life. _

Mai had tried to run away from reality, waking up every morning in the hopes that her mother would be there – she had always gotten the hallow pangs of disappointment whenever she had felt the foreboding darkness in her new apartment that she had shared with her male teacher. He had been awfully supporting of her, and had even given her the scholarship that would have ensured the continuation of her education. Even he hadn't stayed long in her life, leaving after a year when he left for further education to a foreign country.

It had been those years that had strengthened her and enabled her to live on her on and eventually move on from the death of her mother – throwing away things that had reminded her of her – her hair for instance. It had made her braver and she had started seeing the world with the same optimism that she always had – a thing that she had inherited, as her mother had told her, from her father. It had always been natural for her to find happiness in the smallest of things, a thing that she had never been able to quell, and never hoped to quell either. But, she never had been able to dispel the feelings of fear, anxiety, and nervousness that situations such as these presented.

Mai was scared, but not as much as she should have or would have been all those years ago. She was doing this for everybody else, for the spirits that were trapped and in pain, for the people who would have been victim to this monstrosity in the future.

Mai blinked, raising a hand to the tears that had started cascading down her face. It had been quite awhile since the last time she had cried because of her mother's death – the memory was always painful, and she hated the tears that would follow.

"What are you doing?"

Mai squeaked in surprise, turning her teary eyes over to the person who stood in the doorway – Oliver. One hand rested against the side of the open shoji door, while his appearance was casted in luminous light from the moon and the dull yellow light from inside. His eyes narrowed down in an assessing way as his eyes landed on the tears that had been falling down her face. Mai wiped them away hastily, hating the fact that he had to see her like this. He didn't approach her, and she hadn't expected him to do so, either – he stayed well away from emotional matters.

"Am I reason why you're like this?" stated with a tone that told her that he wouldn't have cared even if that were the cause – _this conceited jerk._ Mai would have very well liked to yell at him that he was the cause, but she wasn't a liar. She shook her head at him, he, after all, still had a heart; despite his hardwork to prove otherwise.

"No," she gave a small sigh, wiping at the tears that had gathered in her eyes, "It's got nothing with you," she gave him a smile, "You don't need to worry about that,"

"I see," he paused, "Is it the case?"

He waited for a reply as she straightened her clothes out consciously. She looked up at him with glazed eyes, her eyes sincere and honest – an overwhelming sight that would have fitted a young child – innocent and sincere in everything that they did and showed.

"You would think so," she gave a shaky laugh, "But no, that's not why I'm like this,"

Mai didn't really feel like discussing what had made her upset with Oliver. He wouldn't want to listen and he would be just uncomfortable when she voiced it out – their friendship wasn't what you would call frank.

Oliver looked down at her, genuinely puzzled. Mai was starting to have an effect like that on him, much to his vexation and annoyance.

"I see,"

Mai wiped at the remainder of her tears, feeling considerably lighter and happier then she had only moments ago. The change was quite visible, it was, as Oliver had said several years ago, written all over her face. It made him wonder now in a way that he hadn't thought of before, how she managed to change her moods so suddenly – it wasn't what you called a hobby of any normal human being.

"Did you come to find me?" Mai asked, getting up from her perch and making her way over to him, "Worried about me, were you?" Mai gave him a sly smirk, cocking her head to the right. Oliver raised one eyebrow at him, he couldn't also figure out why Mai had to plunge to her down fall – on purpose.

"You would be wasting your time if you thought so," he smirked lightly.

"Well, you could have sent Lin-san to check up on me, if you don't give a damn," Mai furrowed her eyes in a glare, visibly upset by his words.

"Lin was busy, or I would have sent him along, and nobody else was available for the task," he gave a puzzled look, "Are you disappointed?"

This was, in fact, a part lie – or a part truth, as he would have preferred. He had been wondering where she had got to when he had found the girls' room empty. He had been meaning to check up on her progress – that being the sole reason and not why he had done it to curb his restlessness – as he put it, though.

"You wouldn't have cared if I were," she gave him another sly smirk, she didn't give him a chance to respond, "Was there any particular reason why you were looking for me?"

"I would have thought that was an obivious fact," he smirked, "Of course, it's you, so I'm not disappointed in your lack of intelligence,"

Mai felt her cheeks burn up at his words, she wasn't really in a mood to continue this argument anymore – her memory was still swirling around her mind, "Get to your point," exasperation and annoyance lining her voice.

"Is there any good reason why you're slacking off from your job?"

"I – what?" Mai blinked, not really registering what he was getting at. Mai's face showed comprehension as she remembered what she had been doing before her little wander off to the land where her memories were safely stashed away, "Ah…I kind of got distracted," Mai contemplated whether she should tell him about Gene, but figured that it would be better if Eugene did it himself.

"By what, exactly?" he crossed his arms and leaned on the doorway.

"Why don't you figure that out by yourself, if you're such a genius,"

"You really seem to have an undeniably firm trust in my intellect,"

Mai felt herself blushing at his blatant reply – it was the truth, she did have an undeniably firm trust in his intellect. Even though, that intellect was used to humiliate and deviate her from her ego. Lost for any good reply, she crossed her arms.

"Don't you have somewhere else to be right now?" Mai really wanted her privacy back, even more so since she hadn't gotten much of it in.

"I'd rather not let one of my employees slacking off from their jobs," he looked her appraisingly, "Not when the fate of this investigation rests on her,"

Mai laughed, "You're being too humble; you aren't possessed are you?"

"Get back to your job, Mai," he gave a small sigh, "No more slacking off," he turned around to head back inside.

"I'll be there," Mai's voice seemed sullen and downcast all of a sudden. Oliver smirked – there she goes again.

Mai would really have liked it if she had been left well alone, she really craved a tonne of privacy by now, but she knew that Oliver would never hear of the fact, and he would be ready to skin her alive before he allowed her a day off. She, after all, had only wanted her memories for company tonight.

**A/N: Sorry for such a long update! I've been away from home for a couple of days, and before that I had problems with what I wanted to do for this chapter. It isn't as long as I hoped it to be – what with my dely and all. **

**I've also got mock exams in the next month and I really need to study for them – so I may not be able to update as frequently as I would have liked it to be. But, I've got high aims for my AS levels, and I would really like you guys to forgive me because of that. **

**I will complete all of my stories, and I hope that everybody stays with me even despite my expected delays. **

**Hopefully, I'll write out the next chapter when I'm free from tandems of psychology and sociology. **

**On the good side, I'm getting a laptop in the month of June or July, which would only mean lots and lots of chapters, and frequent updates! =D**

**So good-bye for now! And thank-you to everybody who read my stories!**

**Cheers! =D **


	7. Mirrored Eye Of An Insect

**Love Bound:**

**Night Calling:**

**Chapter 7:**

**Mirrored eye of an insect:**

"**We have seen the city; it is the gibbous  
>Mirrored eye of an insect. All things happen<br>On its balcony and are resumed within,  
>But the action is the cold, syrupy flow<br>Of a pageant."**

** John Ashbery.**

**WARNING:**** The rating of this story has been changed to 'M' due to future content; if you can't handle cannibalism, gore or explicit content then you are free to leave, or continue on your own risk.**

**Day 2:**

**04:00 pm:**

A movement in the periphery of her vision caught her attention, turning her head she saw two kittens playing with each other. Momentarily distracted by the display of cuteness, she battled with the urge to get back to the house on time, or watch the irresistible scene unfold before her. One of the kittens rolled on its back and pawed playfully at its brother; giving up, she walked over to the two white kittens and crouched down low in the alleyway – ignoring the ugly stench from the dumpsters overflowing with filth.

She lowered her eyes to the playful kittens, a small gracing her lips as they continued their play despite her presence. It were things such as these that made her always realize that being alive wasn't as bad as she had always thought. The only resentment that she had was the fact that she couldn't live like these kittens anymore – carefree and innocent – the world was too harsh for such things to be maintained forever, and even then this type of innocence would eventually die as well; the thought was depressing in the least. She didn't want beings such as these to suffer the hardships of life in the future, and even now.

She held out a tentative hand and slowly made for the kitten rolling on the ground. The kittens stopped in their ministrations, their attention being caught, and stared at the hand that had stopped in its movement. She waited for them to move away, all the while hoping that they'd stay, when they went back to their playing, she risked her chance and touched the more innocent looking on the head. It closed its eyes on the contact and pawed at her finger – she couldn't help but smile at the gesture. The other one – the one who looked more 'rough' – ran towards her finger and bit it with its gummy teeth.

"Oh, you want to play as well, do you?" she said with a laugh.

She tickled the kitten, a slight buzzing sound reached her ears, and she batted away at the noisy fly circling her with her free hand. Another fly buzzed past her head, and another, and another – getting annoyed she stood up while batting them away.

_**Flies…**_

Her eyes widened when she saw that the whole alleyway was buzzing with countless of flies – why hadn't she noticed them before? When had they come like this?

Shaking her head slightly at the pointless thoughts, she looked down to watch the two kittens again. Several clusters of centipedes swarmed over what looked suspiciously like two skeletons of a small an animal – a kitten. She gasped; disgust and dread filled her as she backed away in horror, her hand clutched to her mouth.

_**What the hell…?**_

She felt something crunch under her feet, and looked down to see several squished beetles oozing out a red gooey substance.

"Ah,"

The beetles that had survived were now climbing up her bare legs, causing goose-bumps to trickle all over her body, she yelled, shaking them off and running through the cascading amounts of insects and towards, what she hoped, would be safe heaven. Ignoring the sickening crunches under feet she ran through the alleyway. A centipede climbing up her leg, and in her attempts to shake it off she didn't notice the dark figure standing at the end of the alleyway – blocking her way.

"Oomph,"

She collided with the figure and fell back on the ground – in the sea of centipedes and beetles. A whimper escaped her lips, her hair all sticky from the juices of the dead insects. The beetles and centipedes climbed up her body as she lost all the energy to get up. Her tears cascaded freely down her face as the dark figure edged over her.

What was supposed to be a human being was nothing bit a figure covered in hornets, cockroaches, and scorpions –

"_**Mine!" **_

The insect-creature reached a cockroach covered hand towards her, a pair of bright green eyes – dead and hollow – loomed into her own brown ones –

The figure leaned over her, its open mouth reaching for her exposed neck – the hand pulled at her hair and wrenched her head back, and lowered its hungry mouth down to it, and bit in rather hungrily –

She screamed.

In this horror world – there was nothing but her wildly thumping heart to listen to and the wild pain of death as she was devoured alive…

"**Cannibalism to a certain moderate extent is practiced among several of the primitive tribes in the Pacific, but it is upon the bodies of slain enemies alone; and horrible and fearful as the custom is, immeasurably as it is to be abhorred and condemned, still I assert that those who indulge in it are in other respects humane and virtuous."**

** Herman Melville.**

**A/N: A particularly small chapter compared to all others, but things are spicing up in Love Bound, so stay tuned till all drama is revealed, muhahahah! **


	8. Thing Of The Past

**Love Bound:**

**Case 2: Night Calling:**

**Chapter 8:**

**Thing of the Past:**

"**But, when nothing subsists from a distant past, after the death of others, after the destruction of objects, only the senses of smell and taste, weaker but more enduring, more intangible, more persistent, more faithful, continue for a long time, like souls, to remember, to wait, to hope, on the ruins of all the rest, to bring without flinching, on their nearly impalpable droplet, the immense edifice of memory."**

**Marcel Proust.**

**March 14:**

**Day 2:**

**07:30 am:**

"You seem worried,"

He looked up from his notes at the person who had disturbed him of his reverie. Mai sat across from him, in freshly shampooed blow dried hair, and her attire was that that could match the brightness of the sun – quirky as well. It always made him wonder why people didn't flinch away from her due to her unruly hair and an unmistakable look that spoke of an awful clumsiness. Perhaps it was due to the fact that she was undeniably charming – very much like Gene – so much that it could be considered unhealthy, but he wouldn't deny that she was better groomed then what he had seen in the last five years.

"What?"

"Don't pretend that you didn't hear me," she scrunched her nose indignantly at him, "I know that you're worried, so don't ignore me,"

He lowered his eyes down to his notes again, "How do you know?"

"I just do," she said with an enigmatic smile. Oliver wondered if he was generally being more readable, or that only Mai was the one who was starting to read him. Whatever the case, the thought wasn't entirely reassuring.

"Thank you for the helpful insight,"

Mai scrutinized him for a moment, "Do you think that I'll mess up?"

He looked at her again, "Does it matter if I do?"

Mai smiled, "It'll help my morale,"

"You don't need morale for such a task – only ability and capability," he raised his eyebrow at her as though he doubted she had both of them.

"You're not being helpful," she frowned.

"Was I supposed to be?"

Mai banged a frustrated palm on top of the kotatsu before her, "You're the one who told me to do this in the first place, and the least you could do is encourage me,"

"Do your best, Mai," said with sarcasm worthy of Oliver alone.

"Don't be sarcastic, jerk,"

When she didn't get a reply she pressed on, "Don't you have faith in your decision, Naru?" said with a sly tone, and with a hint of teasing.

He looked up and saw Mai staring at him with a challenge in her eyes. His decision was held strong, and he wouldn't change it – not unless he saw a fatal harm in sending Mai into the forest, and for the time being he sensed nothing. Not to mention that Gene would take care of her as well. Thinking about his brother stirred a twinge of guilt in his heart – maybe he should stop ignoring Gene, it was childish in the least.

"Don't go anywhere unnecessary," he told her, before getting up and heading towards his room. Mai's eyes followed his figure till he had disappeared into the room.

Entering the room, he made for the mirror in the corner. He stared at it for a moment, his reflection remaining unchanged – but that was due to the fact that he wasn't stretching the connection with his brother. He wasn't sure that his brother would readily forgive him, but Gene always had the better heart of the two. It was also true that Gene would be eager to communicate with him, since they had been apart for the last five years – not to mention that he also was eager to talk to his brother after losing him in the fatal car accident. Feeling a little reassured he stretched the bond and followed it till he felt the presence of his brother. The thin white thread that was fragile in the discovery after his death glowed brightly, and thickened considerably, as he felt Gene respond rather enthusiastically.

Ever so slowly he watched as his reflection changed to a younger looking replica of himself, who was smiling like the Cheshire cat.

"Noll, I missed you,"

"Gene," he said in greeting.

Gene observed him for a moment, before he went in for the dive.

"I thought you'd never contact me after what happened before,"

Noll crossed his arms, "You thought wrong,"

"It seems so," his smile tightened, "What made you change your mind?"

Noll lifted a corner of his mouth, "You know why,"

Gene grinned ear to ear, "I'm sorry, but you seem mistaken – enlighten me to it, please,"

"You seem rather desperate to know the reason,"

"It's because I'm like one of those countless women that you turned down," he said in a mock hurt voice.

"You aren't that pathetic to compare yourself to them,"

Gene cupped his chin, "It may seem so, but you never know the truth,"

Noll gave him an appraising look, "On to more serious matters – what have you found out about this place?"

Gene looked serious all of the sudden, his face growing somber and placid before he said, "It seems like a tricky place. I'm finding it difficult to gather any useful information as of yet, but the congregation of spirits here is too much to count and that's the thing that has got me worried – I've never seen such a large manifestation before. There are over 1000 spirits here"

"Is it alright if I send Mai into the forest? I've been thinking about it, but I could always change my mind if it's not suitable,"

"I'll look after her," he said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"I thought so," he nodded his head once, "If that's all then I should be going," he unfolded his arms.

Gene seemed uncertain at first, but as Oliver made to move away, he called out, unable to stop himself, "Noll, wait a second,"

Oliver looked back at him with a suspicious glance, acknowledging the fact what his brother wanted to discuss with him.

"I don't want any discussion on the topic, Gene," his eyes were stern, a look that Gene had encountered several times over the course of his short lived life.

"Just hear me out, will you?" he gave him his own version of a glare, which was always more pronounced due to its rarity. He didn't give Oliver the opportunity to respond, "I'm _not_ in love with Mai," his tone was blunt and dull.

A long silence followed his words, Oliver looking for some traces of guilt on his brother's face – he found none. Oliver lowered his gaze, closing his eyes in patience.

"What does that have to do with anything?" he looked up again. His eyes were blank.

"It does, and don't play dumb. What I the other day told me how you felt – or are starting to feel,"

"You don't need to worry yourself over it. It's something that'll go away eventually,"

He stared at Gene when he started laughing.

"Do you even hear yourself speaking, Noll? You don't have a clue about this sort of thing,"

Oliver tilted his head, "I'm better off without it, as well. This is just a waste of time,"

"Won't you do anything?"

He looked up, "What do you mean by that, Gene?"

"Now that you know that I've found a girl that I don't love – won't you seize that opportunity?"

Oliver gave a disgusted look, "Why would I do something like that? You know, just like everybody else, what kind of person I am. Mai could never love such a person, and she's better off without it as well. Even more so that she's in love with you,"

Gene made a disbelieving noise in the back of his throat, "How do you know who she loves?"

Oliver smirked; a smirk that disturbed Gene more then he cared to let on, "Five years ago, Mai confessed to me, thinking that the person appearing in her dreams was a nicer side of me that smiled quite a lot, when in fact it had been you,"

Gene seemed to go paler by his every word. He clenched his fists, and gritted his teeth.

"She could have moved on, Noll. It's been five years since that time,"

Oliver gave him a droll look, "I have no such interest in developing such a relationship. End of word," he made to turn away.

Gene's fading words resounding in his head.

"You'll crumble like this, Noll,"

A small, sad smile had lighted his lips at the part, and he couldn't stop the bitter resentment that his heart had started feeling right of then.

"I've been crumbled once before, Gene. I'll survive this one as well,"

**_L.O.V.E_B.O.U.N.D_**

Mai looked up when Oliver reemerged from the room – he looked calm and stoic as ever.

"Did something happen?"

"If it did, then it's none of your business,"

"Don't be so rude,"

"Why not?"

Mai smiled sweetly at him – Oliver stared, "Because I was being a good girl, I obeyed your order to not go anywhere unnecessary,"

Oliver smirked, "Congratulations, Mai, you just won the jackpot," said with an annoyingly sarcastic smile, but Mai wasn't about to give up that easily.

Mai raising a triumphant finger in the air yelled rather enthusiastically, "Ha! Just goes to show you,"

He shook his head.

"You didn't have any dreams last night, did you," it wasn't a question, which just as much struck her ire as anything related to him did.

"If I had, then I would have _told _you," she stuck her tongue at him.

"Are you really apt to be considered a 21-year old _**woman**_?"

"And _**are you **_apt to be considered a 22-year old _**man**_?" she said with a wicked grin, "To me, you seem more capable of being an old grand-pa than anything else,"

He smirked, "Well this 'old grandpa' is your boss, so you better listen to him if you want to keep your job,"

Mai gasped, "You wouldn't have the _guts_ to fire me!" she pointed an accusing finger at him.

Oliver looked at her with one of his most sarcastic smirks, "Watch me" –

"Don't say it! Don't say it, Naru, you jerk! Don't say it!"

"Mai," –

"No, I'm not listening, you can't fire me if I don't hear it!" she shook her head vigorously and when he still showed signs of speaking, she stuck her fingers in her ear and said rather loudly, "La, la, la – I'm not listening – I'm not listening!"

"Mai!"

Mai peaked up at him a little tentatively to find him looking extremely annoyed and irritated.

"What?" she huffed indignantly.

"Stop being an idiot, and go wake the others"

"Yeah, yeah – whatever," she stuck her tongue at him for good measure, before getting up making her way to wake the others up.

**_L.O.V.E._B.O.U.N.D_**

**8:35am:**

Breakfast had been a silent affair. It was after that that Oliver had set them to working for the day – and Mai had found a home in the futon in the lounge. It was aggravating, what with a heart monitor, and an EEG (a machine used to measure the wavelengths of the brain) taped to her head. If they hadn't been on a case, Mai would have felt like a lab rat.

Somehow, she still felt that Oliver was killing two birds with one stone with this set up.

She stared up at the ceiling a little sullenly, a foreboding feeling settling down somewhere in her stomach. There was the small beep of the heart monitor being turned on, and then her life-line started buzzing – a little faster than a normal heartbeat would be.

They were whispering she knew that for sure. They still weren't alright with this, and she could feel the heavy atmosphere eating away at her already taut nerves.

A slight flutter caught her attention. She glanced down at her folded arms to see Kohana fluttering away. Mai opened her hands, allowing Kohana to perch on her hand. Mai stroked the brown feathers that were reminiscent of her own eye colour – she blocked out the unwanted chatter of her fellows from her mind.

Somebody tugged at the patch receptor at her temple. She looked up, wincing slightly to find Oliver staring down at her with his cool, blue eyes. Momentarily she felt her heartbeat quicken, much to her trepidation, and so did the heart monitor. Mai looked away, blushing slightly.

"Angry, are you?"

Mai piqued up at the amusement in his voice – this arrogant jerk. She looked back at him to find traces of seriousness levelling the amusement in his eyes.

"No, not really. Just tense, is all,"

Oliver quirked his head, "Instincts?"

Mai's lips twitched slightly in amusement, "You wouldn't call this off even if that were the case, would you?"

"Very perceptive of you, Taniyama-san," he said, enticing delicate emphasis on her surname, much to her annoyance. Knowing, from the beginnings of amusement in his eyes that he was just teasing – that didn't make it alright, though.

She stuck her tongue out at him, "Why thank-you, Shibuya-san, Davis-san, Dr. Davis, Oliver Davis, or whatever,"

Oliver tugged particularly hard at her temple causing her to wince and yelp in pain.

"Naru, you jerk! That hurt!" she caressed her hurt temple, tenderly.

She glared at the amused smirk that lingered on his lips.

"Back to normal, are you, Taniyama-san?"

Mai cursed loudly, causing the others to stop their talk and stare over at them. Mai ignored the hefty silence that seemed to resonate all of a sudden.

"You're all set to go, Taniyama-san,"

"What's with you, jerk?"

Oliver was about to answer when Lin's voice cut him off.

"We're set to go, Naru,"

Oliver turned away to address him, leaving Mai to crumble to her nerves once again.

Oliver turned back after addressing Lin to find Mai brooding hopelessly at her fate.

"Mai, you should stop that," he called sharply, glaring at her reproachfully, "We're ready; all we need is for you to relax,"

She looked at him a little distastefully, too much for his liking.

"I'm ready," she called out hollowly.

He raised his eyebrows slightly, staring at her a little curiously.

"Gene will meet you there,"

Mai contemplated this, and then gave a miserable sigh. He watched her with something akin to wondering and caution.

"Does Gene make you uncomfortable?"

Mai smiled, "No, it's not that," she looked at him thoughtfully.

He looked at her soft expression with ambivalence, "Just tell me when you're ready,"

Mai seemed to focus on him entirely now, that lost look was gone, "I really am," she drew in a large gulp of air, "I should do that breathing exercise that Gene taught me, right?"

"That should be it,"

She gave a strained smile, "Right, here I go,"

Oliver looked over at the machines to check whether they were working or not. Mai's heartbeat had started to slowdown, and her brainwaves waves were small, and short – an indication of the fact that she was still awake.

Silence ensued, except for the regular beeps from the heart monitor. Oliver could feel the palpable tension starting to manifest amongst his peers, as their gazes flickered from the heart monitor to the girl lying in apparent mid-state of the mind and the soul.

Mai's breathing became more lax after a certain amount of time, the EEG now showing that she had entered the first stage of the sleep cycle; slightly longer wavelengths from the awake stage.

Usually, astral projection occurred when the person was in the final and deepest transition of the sleep cycle – the cycle when people entered their dream stage. The wavelengths at the time would be similar to that when a person was awake, but slightly more apart.

The usual rules with regular sleep didn't apply in this context. One cycle lasts about 90 minutes, and it is repeated over four to six times in about six to nine hours of sleep. REM sleep occurs after this time, so they had a bit of waiting to do for this to occur – or as science states, that is.

Past experiences have told him that Mai's powers manifest most effectively when they were in dire need, or so Urado's case had proven. At the time, Mai had been able to astral project regardless of the theory that astral projection occurs in the REM (rapid eye movement) stage of the sleep, meaning after ninety minutes of falling asleep.

This theory had been thrown out the window then, and it all depended on the situation and Mai's state of mind.

Seeing that Mai was tense and anxious, it could also be that her unconscious mind would play at time for when she would have set foot in the forest.

On the other hand, this state of mind could have the opposite effect. Her unconscious mind would hurry up the process so that they are done with the job as soon as possible – not to mention that Mai knew how much her excursion meant for solving the case, and that could be an aid in the process of astral projecting.

His eyes flickered over to the heart monitor. Her heartbeat was still decreasing, but it was far from the amount that would tell them that she was astral projecting. The heartbeat is painstakingly slow at the time, so much that the person could be considered unstable.

This was not the time when you panic, but the real problem occurs if the line completely flattened, and he trusted that Gene would guide her back to the body if she should face any problem getting back.

At best he gave it thirty minutes for her to enter REM sleep, and rest-assured with the fact that she was in the astral plane – if that was a thing to be relaxed about.

His gaze shifted from the monitor and to Mai's peaceful face. He scanned her face unconsciously, wondering momentarily at the shape of her lips – something he'd never set eyes on when they were closed like that. Despite his aversions, he couldn't help but think at the pink colour, untainted by any signs of lipstick or the glossy look that he knew women to wear.

He looked away, narrowing his eyes in displeasure. He clenched his fist tightly, curbing the alien emotions that rose in his heart at the sight of her.

"Naru," Lin's voice made his head snap up to the tall man. He was looking at the EEG monitor. Oliver shifted his gaze to what Lin had observed, and found that Mai had entered the second stage of sleep.

Immediately, the EEG showed several irregular wavelengths that caught his attention – put it simply, the EEG was going haywire all of a sudden.

"Is that supposed to be happening?" the worried voice of Monk called throughout the alert people.

Ignoring his query, Oliver's eyes snapped to the heart monitor which, likewise, was indicating the rapid heartbeats of Mai in short, sharp beeps.

"Should we wake her up?" the now edgy voice of Monk asked the thin air.

"No," Oliver called blankly, "Let it continue for awhile,"

If he proved correct, and which normally did, then this stage was only temporary and definitely most essential for astral projection in the case of Mai.

Ten minutes passed away in bated breath, before significant effect on the heart monitor was noted – it was lowering down.

Everybody released their breaths in intense relief. Not lowering his guard, he focused his eyes on the EEG that was showing the fourth and final stage of the sleep cycle, after which Mai would enter the fifth stage that was the REM stage.

Over the beeps of the heart monitor, Oliver could barely make out Mai's shallow breathing. She seemed a little different from before, more deeply ingrained, if he had to describe her state. He doubted whether waking Mai at this time would be very effective.

He watched as he facial expression changed with the barest hints of restlessness – were people supposed to show expressions during this time? He remembered when Gene would enter the astral plane, and his expressions in the spiritual realm would affect that of his physical body.

It is possible, if he looked at it logically, during astral projection, the soul is still connected to the body via a silver umbilical cord of sorts. Concerning this, it wouldn't be right to say that they leave the body entirely. In this case, it is possible for the soul to be harmed, and for the physical body to project this. As was the case when Takigawa-san (Ayako) and Hara-san had woken up due to Mai's physical tantrum depicting the experience that she had had in that horrid dream.

He looked back at the EEG to find the brainwaves showing short and small wavelengths – the REM stage. Mai was in.

"She's there," he called out; everybody looked over at him, staring silently.

**_L.O.V.E_B.O.U.N.D_**

The surroundings merged slowly. Mai stared at the astral colours merging harmoniously as though they belonged there – and right they did. She tried to make out where she was – if everything went according to her wishes then she should be outside the forest, where, most likely, she would meet up with Gene.

The tight knot of anxiety and nervousness didn't let loose, and she chewed on her bottom lip, feeling jumpy.

It was dark, like night, as was the case in the astral plane.

She stared blankly as the forest formed in front of her eyes, not feeling entirely reassured that it had turned out like she had wished it to be. She stared at the looming trees, something else settling in her already coiled stomach, as light as a feather, but which made her heart race with dread and fear. Her gut was telling her to run away, but the presence of Kohana beside her brought on a certain sense of security. But she was far from being completely reassured.

She shuffled her feet restlessly, turning her head from side to another searching for the comforting presence of Gene.

"G-Gene?" she called out, her voice low, shaky and nervous.

She waited for a reply, but when none came she called again.

"G-Gene?"

She froze at the sound of low buzzing, as though a congregation of spirits were talking about her sudden appearance in their amidst. She took a step back when she felt something tickle her feet, but she was wearing shoes so it shouldn't be possible.

She backed up away from the forest, hoping for the tickling and the whispers to abate with the distance. To her dismay, the whispers grew more pronounced.

She spun on her feet; in the back of her mind she felt the sudden appearance of a thin, golden thread that connected her to whose knows what. She felt it vibrate slightly, and with that it grew thicker and more evident than before.

She felt it growing faster, and with it she sensed her dread ebbing away slightly. It was starting to grow unbearable, what with the whispers, the tickling, and the presence of the golden thread.

It seemed to obscure her vision, and then slid in like a piece of puzzle with a slight clang.

"Mai,"

She spun around, and almost crushed her spirit guide in a relieved hug.

"Gene!" she felt tears of happiness gather in her eyes, as she felt all sense of dread leave her body, to be replaced by that of the tenderness of joy and love.

Unable to control to herself, she flung her arms around his neck in a slumped version of a hug. He supported her weak weight with both arms around her waist.

"Miss me?" his voice was low, and teasing.

"I was scared," she confided. She held on for a moment longer before she let go of him. Suddenly, the whispering and the tickling returned, "Do you hear that? They're whispering,"

Gene looked over at the trees thoughtfully, "I can,"

Mai looked at it wonderingly, "We should get going,"

He looked at her, "Weren't you scared?"

Her eyes flickered to his momentarily, before she gave a weak smile, "I still am, but we can't stay here forever, can we?"

She took his hand in hers, he squeezed it briefly – a sign of assurance.

Gene led the way over to the trees, awfully aware of the now loud whispers from the hidden spirits. Kohana twittered slightly ahead of her, sensing danger and ill-content all around.

Mai stopped when they were barely steps away from entering the black abyss of trees. Gene looked at her a little uncertainly, tugging slightly on their connected hands.

"Mai?"

Mai drew in a breath, "Just a minute," she shook her head, clearing it, before looking on ahead with determination. She held a fist to herself, before nodding her head, and taking the lead lest she be stalled again.

If there had been any light in the astral plane, she knew that they wouldn't need it. That was because as dark as the astral plane could get, their path was visible as though it was cast in full light. Though the colours were reversed – the outlines of the trees were white, while the substance that they were made of was black.

The whispers seemed to resonate within her mind, and she tried her hardest to ignore them, though she was failing. She stole a glance at Gene, looking calm and serene, as though he did this every other day – which he did. She looked ahead again.

"Can't we fly?" she asked a little subtly, trying a vain attempt at lowering the tension around them. Gene took the lead, not letting go of her hand.

"That'll be like asking for them to attack us. We're unfamiliar to them, and spirits don't usually care about anything else, except if it answers their curbs," he lapsed into silence, and something about him told her that it would be best if they didn't talk too much.

Feeling the presence of countless hidden spirits all around watching them, she felt she couldn't agree more. She closed the small distance between her and Gene, unconsciously, and she was sure that the spirits could hear the erratic pounding of her heart.

"They wouldn't attack, would they?"

"If we provoke them, yes,"

They continued to weave their way through the undergrowth, and ever more the hordes of spirits followed them with something akin to a warning.

Mai looked down, and froze in her attacks. Gene stopped, looking back at her with nervousness. When he saw where she was looking, he followed her gaze. On the ground, a bunch of black insects were scampering away from them, their shapes resembled cockroaches, and beetles.

"Should this really be here?" she followed the movements of the insects with alacrity.

"It's unusual, yes,"

Mai's head snapped to his, feeling the sudden desire to walk away from the spot. Mai sped up their pace, dragging Gene along with him. Feeling uncertainty, she slowed down, her legs getting restless.

Gene didn't say anything, just a comforting grasp of her hand. She looked all around as though searching for something.

A sudden jolt in her gut sent her sprinting across the astral terrain.

"Mai!" Gene called out cautiously. Mai ignored him, dragging him along.

Mai didn't know what had sent her sprinting across the forest, as ever was the case with instincts. The blooming fear and bile rising in her throat, sending her in a panic attack.

Breaking through one last set of trees, she gasped, stopping in her tracks. Gene collided with her slightly.

"G-Gene," Mai called, the sudden silence crashing down on her ears like a wave of water. Her seemed to stop for a moment of a second before it hurtled again, "Wh-what _is _that?"

Staring down at the thing, he didn't reply.

Amongst the black mass that was, undoubtedly, the lake they could make out something indiscernible floating up like a piece of white flower.

They watched, paralysed, as what looked like a flower broke through the water in long frayed jumbles of what could only be hair. They watched as the long, skeletal figure of a female broke through the water and rose in the air – its arms spread on either side of its body.

There was a moment of breathtaking pause, before its head snapped to them in a hollow, expressionless way. Slowly, it smirked, showing rotten, black teeth – sharp, like those of a carnivore. It was aged – this thing – a thing of the long forgotten past.

In this abyss of black, forest trees, no one could hear the scream thatescaped from her lips as the_ monster _lunged at them...

"**People who shut their eyes to reality simply invite their own destruction, and anyone who insists on remaining in a state of innocence long after that innocence is dead turns himself into a monster."**

**James Baldwin. **

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait…but I just finished my exams. I hope this chapter satisfies you for the last shorter one. I intended to make this one longer, but thought it would be best to post this now or never. **

**Well, anyways, the next chapter will contain a hell lot of action, and a little more detail will go into the history of the house and its last occupants. **

**Stay Tuned!  
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	9. Night Gone Wrong

**Love Bound:**

**Night Calling:**

**Chapter 9:**

**Night Gone Wrong:**

**Nature in darkness groans  
>And men are bound to sullen contemplation in the night:<br>Restless they turn on beds of sorrow; in their inmost brain  
>Feeling the crushing wheels, they rise, they write the bitter words<br>Of stern philosophy & knead the bread of knowledge with tears & groans.**

– **William Blake**

**March 14:**

**Day 2:**

**09:30 am:**

Mai wondered if the ugly, rotting creature racing towards her was once beautiful in its life. The gaunt face must have had distinct facial features while alive. Mai could tell that through the now evilly contorted face. The eyes that shone darkly were the colour of faded blue. She was also sure that the hair that hung limp and dead was once a different colour other than the rough, dirty white. The skin that was set taut against the skeletal face in a greenish hue must once have been beautiful porcelain white. The tattered kimono was the only thing that didn't speak of its previous beauty: bloodied and bland in colour it was.

These were the thoughts that curtailed through her mind, alongside the terror that was coursing through her body when the piercing scream had escaped her lips.

She felt being pushed behind Gene.

They were going to be destroyed by thing, won't they?

Mai clutched tightly at the back of Gene's shirt, her eyes shutting close at the dread that she felt. Mai waited for something to happen. She expected to feel unbearable pain, as though she were being torn in half while her soul was taken. The anticipated pain never came; instead she heard a loud, eerie cry that made her bones chill out. Under her hand, she felt Gene shift slightly.

She opened her eyes. What she saw made her jaw drop in shock. The monster, spirit, or whatever was standing on top of the water. Its previously hungry face twisted into that of anxiety and distress – _**what?**_

"Wh-what ha-happened?"

She didn't get a reply. Instead, Gene narrowed his eyes – making him look like Oliver all those years ago.

The monster was wrenching, too forcefully for Mai, at her legs – but they weren't moving. Another cry from it made Mai jump. She stared fearfully at the trapped legs – what was keeping her there?

An unpleasant feeling crept into her stomach. She felt exposed all of a sudden – naked – and she felt thousands of hungry eyes on her naked body. She hugged herself, her cheeks heating up at the dreadful thought – her heart seeming to beat in her throat. Something prickled her back, making her arch in to what little of Gene she could touch.

She gasped, as she felt something cold slide across the skin on her abdomen. All else seemed to dissipate from her mind – forgetting who she was, or where she was. Her knees weakened, and she collapsed to the ground in a fit. The sudden urge to vomit overtook her.

She screamed when she felt a hand on her shoulder, whirling around to look at Gene staring at her worriedly.

"Mai, it's alright," he withdrew his hand when she kept staring at it with alarm. She felt the cold, prickly feeling leave her, and exhaustion took over – her arms stinging with Goosebumps, "We're not there anymore,"

Mai blinked, not taking in the meaning of his words, too caught up from the after-effects of the feeling. When Gene didn't get a reply, he touched her forehead with a subtle seriousness.

"I'm sending you back. I'll see you later in the evening," he said in a low voice, "Take care, Mai. You'll be alright,"

Mai blinked again, the rushing sense of reality coming back to her. She stared around at the black, stretch of space – the she-monster no longer in sight. Her eyes flickered back to that of Gene's which showed undisguised worry and concern. She wondered idly, what it'll take for Oliver to show that kind of emotion.

"Ge-Gene, w-what happened?" she stared with doe-like eyes at him. The emotion in his eyes shifted to be replaced by that of relief. He smiled warmly at her. Mai drank it in hungrily, still recovering.

"We escaped," he said simply, "I'll tell you everything later,"

Those were the last words she heard before she went hurtling through the astral plane and into the familiar recesses of her own body.

**_L.O.V.E._B.O.U.N.D._**

Rearing on the edge of consciousness, Mai had a plenary feeling of weightlessness. Her body felt feather-like – as though there was nothing supporting her being in this world. The strings tying her to the ground were lying disarrayed on the ground.

Ataxic – the loss of muscle coordination. She was sure that she had heard Oliver say something about this sort of thing from God knows when. It had been something along the lines of psychic power being unresponsive for a while. Mai could only wonder the effect that her spiritual power had on her body. Oliver had stated that spiritual, as in the case of Mai, could affect the functioning of the physical body. In the end, he stated with a cold edge to his voice to state the obvious, that everything was interconnected between the mind and the body.

This usually occurs when the spiritual manifestation has gone through a particularly acrimonious task at hand – or when some outside forces are at play. Out of the two, Mai could only harbour a disjointed guess at which of these it was from her muddled state of mind.

Tranquillity edged through her scared mind like a gentle flower. She gave a small sigh. She could live like this forever.

Something faltered, and she piqued up lazily too aspersed to care very much about the sudden change. It fluctuated again – like an aeroplane going up and down in mid-flight.

Barely, she could feel the peacefulness abating away from her mind, and the feeling of panic sunk in like quicksand.

The feeling of falling was accompanied with the sense of her heart, and the cinch that she would die. It was almost like falling off a cliff and into the voracious plunges of the white waves below.

Her eyes flew open, and she screamed.

Instead of the wet, cold feeling of sinking she was encompassed into something warm and strong. Though her eyes were open, she couldn't make out anything but the darkness that seemed to linger in from the astral plane.

Fighting for her breath, she clutched at something soft beside her. Finding her limbs were working all of a sudden. She pulled the soft something closer and shuddered with fear and dread – her heart beating in her throat. The overwhelming feeling of vertigo crashed down on her, and she fought to steady her mind and her body.

She lurched forwards, colliding with something in her confusion – she leaned on it, hoping for this sense to just go away. Her other arm wound around the thing she had collided with. But her head was tilting back at a painful angle without any support from behind – she groaned quietly.

Something touched the back of her head, tangling in her hair, and pushing it forwards to hold it steady against the 'wall' – were walls supposed to be warm?

She gathered her legs from the splayed position and tucked them underneath herself. Feeling the wall beside her move, she held on tighter and made a sound of protest. She felt something clench around her tightly before the pressure was gone, but the presence hadn't diminished entirely.

Mai's eyes were bleary, and she was still reeling in from the sudden sensation in her whole body – she felt like she was on fire. Her palms felt rough against the wall which, she realised with a pang, was moving up and down slowly. She barely registered the deep pounding in her confusion. She was too miserable to note the slightly erratic hum.

"Mai,"

Something reverberated in the wall, causing her stomach to rumble with the hum pleasantly. She groaned quietly, registering the owner of the voice with underlying embarrassment, but, ultimately, she felt her heart lightening at that familiar voice. Though, it was gentle somehow. Unconsciously, she tightened her grip on the soft fabric which she realised to be a shirt.

Her head steadied slightly, and she closed her eyes against the unrelenting darkness in front of her eyes. She could feel warmth emanating from the person beside her, and she sunk in it. The panic vanished from her mind, and her heart started beating with a completely different reason. She felt her body relaxing, and she felt safe all of a sudden.

She could also feel her face starting to burn slightly, but she was too happily invested in the embrace to push herself away.

Too soon, she felt Oliver leaning away from her. She didn't have a doubt in her mind that Oliver would have noticed her relaxed posture immediately – curse his sharpness for ruining the moment.

She looked up, meeting beautiful blue eyes dangerously close to her own. She felt her breath stop at the sight, and she knew her cheeks to be red with embarrassment – how did they get like this, again?

"You okay?"

Mai blinked owlishly at him – awfully aware of her grip on his shirt now.

"Yes," she breathed out heavily.

She felt disappointment slither in her chest when Oliver moved away from her, standing up and gazing at something that she could barely make out through her periphery.

She clutched her head in a sudden wave of nausea, but it was too powerful to suppress. She blamed Oliver for the sudden change, as irrational as it may sound – if he hadn't moved away from her, she felt she would still have felt safe.

Feeling petty, but not too vicious towards Oliver wasn't what her body agreed with. Bending over Oliver's socked feet she regurgitated her breakfast all over his feet.

Oliver, whose words had almost left his lips, closed his eyes in aggravation when he felt his feet being used as a toilet bowl. He opened his eyes to look down at the violently sick assistant at his feet. He arched his eyebrow as she glanced sheepishly at him with a low muttered apology. He gave a small sigh.

"You said that you were okay," he shook his head at her, while trying to ignore the stench that wasn't stinky feet from somewhere below him.

He took a step back, when she appeared to be still in her critical stage. He cast a sweeping eye over at his teammates who were staring palely back at him – his eyes landed on one Masako Hara.

Masako pressed the sleeve of her kimono to her mouth, understanding him without even trying. She said primly, "You know you can trust me,"

She didn't wait for a reply as she swept gracefully over to her brown-haired psychic rival, and steadied her on her feet before gliding away with Mai in tow. A gentle arm was supporting her weight.

While Mai was in the toilet emptying her stomach, Oliver stared at his recently puked-on feet a little unhappily. He ignored the suppressed chuckles from beside him for the time being. He frowned, examining the ruined futon with a careful expression.

He swished his head to look at the silently guffawing Monk and Yasuhara. He raised his eyebrow cynically at them.

"Weren't you two anxiously worried about Mai only minutes before?"

Smirking at their sheepish expressions he walked off to wash his feet, and change his socks.

**_L.O.V.E._B.O.U.N.D._**

Mai heaved into the toilet bowl for the second time – unable to voice out her questions. All the while, Masako patted her back soothingly.

Mai gasped, spitting the bitter taste away from her mouth, and groaned miserably.

"I feel...so awful,"

"Don't speak," the pedantic medium taunted sternly, "Indeed, if I had been you, I wouldn't have gotten sick – it just goes to speak of my expertise, and your lack thereof,"

Mai gave a weak chuckle, "You're supposed to be cheering me up, Masako-chan – not doing the opposite." Though, she meant the words to be light and friendly, she couldn't get the desired effect what with her hoarse throat and all.

She heard an exaggerated sigh from behind her, but her chuckle was lost as she vomited once again. Mai knew when she felt the gentle hand of Masako on her hand, that she was genuinely worried about her. They may still be rivals concerning their medium ships, but they had developed a certain bond over the years that spoke of a subtle friendship, and support in their common-grounds of abilities.

"You...don't think that Naru's mad at me, do you?" her face was puckered up, and she was having difficulty conveying her message across.

"Tut, tut, Mai-san. Clearly, you do not know the meaning of 'don't speak'. As for your concern about whether not Naru is mad at you, purely lies in the fact that you, so extravagantly ruined his socks, and not to mention his too-perfect of a feature that you could call feet," she frowned at her anecdote of her pervious love interest. Though, she didn't care about that man in that sense anymore. She had found a better love in Yasuhara – she was proud to admit. She would like to believe – no, she was most certain that what she now felt for Yasuhara was something better than she could ever have hoped it to be. Not to mention that they were going great now that they had put their differences aside, "Though, I should say that your continuous obsession over what Naru thinks is getting a little unhealthy,"

Mai snorted derisively, "Weren't you obsessed about what Naru just five years ago?"

Masako swished her head away, "Indeed, _**five **_years ago. I was a teenager, as you might remember," she smirked, "I've _**matured, **_something, I believe, you will never be even after ten years from now. So don't tell me what _**I **_was in the past, you should look at yourself now,"

Mai shook her head in exasperation, re-emerging from the toilet for the final time and wiping her mouth, "You of all people should know what love is like. Don't feel the same way about Yasuhara?" Mai's smile was teasing and there was the familiar fire in her eyes that Masako had been looking for. Secretly, she smiled behind her kimono sleeve.

"What I feel about Yasuhara-san is none of your business. I wouldn't put it past you to try to steal him from me,"

Mai clutched a hand to her head, "You can keep him all you want. I'm not interested in the least,"

Masako looked at her with admonishing eyes, "You have no etiquette. Isn't it prudent to wash your mouth and, most possibly, brush your teeth after you've relieved yourself of your food?" Masako covered her nose with her sleeve to emphasise the unruly smell coming from Mai.

Mai stood up, a little unsteady, but definitely a lot better than before. Masako stood back, giving her room to manoeuvre through the washroom, but still at a distance that could be easily covered if Mai should need any assistance.

There was a knock on the door, and Monk's voice filtered through.

"Hey, is everything alright in there?"

The sound of the door opening reached Masako's ears, and she looked up at Monk who was staring inside a little apprehensively.

"I'm fine; I'm fine," Mai waved off airily from the sink, "We'll be out in a bit,"

"Apparently, Mai doesn't know how to be graceful,"

Mai snorted once again, "Well, that's news to you," sarcasm coated her voice, but her little disagreements with Masako had taken her mind off of the horrible events that she had been exposed to. For that, Mai was grateful in the least.

"So, what happened? How come I ended up _**falling**_?"__

"You were floating," answered the Monk.

"Floating?" she couldn't help but be surprised by that information.

"Yes, you were floating. It usually happens when _**certain **_people_** don't **_have any_** control **_on their_** powers," **_Masako answered with a hint of a mocking smile in her voice.

Mai cast a venomous glare in Masako's direction, "Well, I'm sorry. Not _**everybody **_has the makings of a perfect medium – and I'd be better off without it,"

Masako gave a scoff, "Shouldn't you be happy that Naru would find you far more interesting than he did five years ago, Mai-san?"

"Actually, I'd prefer that he like me for I was on the inside, and not because of my ability to see the dead – ultimately, I'm sure that I'll end up making a fool of myself in front of him. Like always,"

Mai ignored the sigh that came from the doorway a little pointedly. She didn't really need Monk to be perceptive at this time – he was too impatient for his own good. She knew why he came here – to ask her beforehand what she had seen and Mai wasn't too keen on relating it as soon as the situation seemed to be present. Mai also knew that as much as she could successfully weasel her way out from Monk's nose, there was always the unbreakable barrier that Oliver seemed to present in the name of downright cruel manipulation, and blackmail.

Well, it was all dandy and all – as they say that if can't beat 'em, join 'em. Mai would never want to join Oliver in something that she didn't find right. Sadly, that sort of thing didn't apply in this context. At least, she had found out what was in lake and all. She suppressed the shiver that seemed to trickle down her neck.

Spitting the water one last time from her mouth, she pushed away from the sink that made towards what was possibly one more round of puking on your boss's perfect feet.

**_L.O.V.E._B.O.U.N.D._ **

**10:30 am:**

After half-an-hour of unpleasant conversation, Mai found herself resting her head on the kotatsu in the lounge trying very hard not to think of the unpleasant encounter that she had had in the astral plane.

Finally, getting the lead on what was in the house, Oliver had taken it upon himself to research the history of this house – probably because he had nothing else to do. Yasuhara had insisted that he help as well, also, as Mai suspected due to the lack of progress and possible growing ennui amongst her teammates. Now all they had to do was waiting for them to finish the research.

Mai gave a miserable sigh, looking up when something moved on the edge of her eyes. A woman with shoulder-length auburn hair was looking down at her holding a tray of tea. She stood up.

"Hello," she smiled, shoving her bad mood aside for now.

"Hi," the bright green eyes that seemed to draw Mai were lit up in a smile, "Taniyama-san, correct?"

Mai nodded her head, "Yes, but please call me Mai," she smiled, "And you are?"

"I'm Eri Atsushi. I'm a regular maid here,"

"I see, Atsushi-san. It's nice to meet you. Here, let me help you with that,"

Mai made to move forwards and take the tray out from her hands, but Atsushi-san stopped her.

"No, no. It's alright, I can manage,"

Mai took the cup of tea that she handed to her a little thoughtfully.

It was when Mai's cup of tea was half-empty that a scream broke through the heavy silence, causing Mai's hand to hit the cup on the kotatsu and spill the remaining tea that was in there. Mai shot to her feet, scramming for the stairs that led to the upper level.

"Masako?"

Mai yelled worriedly, but Yasuhara was already racing ahead of her to reach his lover. Mai could only think reflectively at the concern that he presented for Masako at the time through her own sense of dread that seemed to increase due to her encounter with the monster.

Mai could only imagine what the psychic medium had seen to send her screaming with fear.

The upstairs consisted of a long corridor with one bedroom, and a bathroom. There was also the addition of an attic – the kind that you could open by the use of drawstring. A cracked window on the right looked out into the forest.

From Yasuhara hurrying in front of her, she could barely make out the partially open door at the end of the hallway. Beyond that, Mai couldn't see a thing.

They burst through the door, and halted in their tracks.

The bedroom was a mess of unpacked boxes, and dust. A grimy window at the end of the room barely filtered any light in making it look like as though the sun was setting outside.

Masako was cowering the far corner of the room, her kimono-covered hands held to her mouth, and her eyes a chasm of terror. She was staring at a partially open closet. With a prickling feeling of disgust Mai realized that a horde of black spiders were swarming out from it.

The scuttling figures seemed to spreading across the room at alarming speed. Several raced towards Masako who let out a terrified scream, causing Yasuhara to move forwards.

He grabbed the dirty mop leaning on the boxes and lunged forwards, raising the mop over his head and bringing it down on the hordes of spiders that had been racing towards Masako. Mai shrieked backwards when she seemed to be getting surrounded by them as well.

"What the hell is going here?" a shout came from the doorway, that no one of them seemed to notice. Monk stood in the doorway, staring at the scene inside with wide eyes.

Mai scrambled backwards, trying to avoid the onslaught of spiders that wanted to climb up her body. Yasuhara was standing in front of Masako, the strain of the spiders too much for him to handle alone.

Monk reached forwards, grabbing Mai by the shoulders, and pulled her back with a loud curse. The spiders were all over the room – the roof, the floor, the walls, and the window in the corner – which caused the room to be plunged into darkness, but they could still make out what was going on.

Monk looked around the room for a weapon to expel the spiders with, but found nothing that wasn't covered in spiders. In the corner, Yasuhara shook off spiders from his legs, and beating them down with his mop. Masako had stood up during the commotion, her back pressed up against the wall, and her hands clutching the backside of Yasuhara's shirt.

"Uggh!" he yelled, raising the mop over his head, and smashing it into the spider covered window beside him. Mai could vaguely make out the spiders falling outside as the window broke open, giving them a hint of sunlight before all spiders were hurtling outside the window as though trying to escape them.

Mai watched as the spiders gathering at her feet, changed direction all of a sudden, making for the broken window in the end. Yasuhara pulled a weak Masako towards the door, when their path seemed to clear.

Something touched Mai's shoulder, and she jumped with a yelp, whirling around to face a curious Oliver looking past her and into the room. She saw his eyes narrow down when he spotted the spiders escaping the confines of the house.

Mai looked back as Yasuhara pulled Masako through the door.

"You guys alright?" she asked anxiously, patting Masako on the back soothingly.

"We're fine. Damn those spiders," Yasuhara held Masako tight to his chest, not wanting to let go, "Where did they come from?"

"They were babies," Masako spoke up in a shaky voice, "They had just hatched, that's why we hadn't seen them before this." Her face was sweating, and she looked close to fainting. She clenched the front of Yasuhara's shirt with a trembling hand.

"They seemed to be going into the forest," Monk informed from the broken window, "We should also fix this up before those things decide to come back." His shoulders seemed to sag with the mere prospect of the spiders returning.

"Yasuhara-san, I don't feel too well. If you will escort me to my room, please," Masako leaned heavily on him, her legs not wanting to keep her up any longer.

"Yes, of course,"

Mai gave a sigh, suppressing a shiver at the feeling of crawling limbs over her legs. She glanced beside her Oliver seemed to be unusually quiet. No doubt that he was doing some hard thinking.

He turned his attention towards her when he felt her stare at him.

"Where did they come from?"

"From the closet, it's where their eggs must have been,"

Oliver walked past her without a reply, and towards the closet. Mai gasped.

"Naru! Careful, there might be more of them in there,"

He ignored her warning, and stood in front of the closet with a thoughtful expression. Mai followed him cautiously.

"Naru," she said worriedly when he pulled the sliding door all the back, and leaned in to examine what was inside.

Mai retracted at the horrible smell coming from it. She covered her nose to block it out. From beside her, Monk did the same.

"That's one nasty smell." He didn't pull away though, he was too curious to do that.

The closet was mess of cobwebs. A lot of dust, and there was something on the top level. Oliver reached up, his fingers brushing with a hard, cold something. It rolled over, and fell at his feet with a dull thud. Mai gasped.

It was a skull, covered in black fungus. There were cobwebs in the empty sockets of the eyes. Mai stared at it with horrified eyes. Oliver didn't mind it. His eyes scanned the top corner, but there wasn't a skeleton up there. He turned his attention back to the skull at his feet.

The skull fluctuated like a bad picture screen.

"What the...?" Monk asked, as the skull fluctuated again, seeming to fade away.

Highly curious, Oliver bent down to pick it up before it disappeared. Before he could reach it though, it disappeared.

"What the hell was that? How did it vanish like that?"

Oliver straightened, "It was a hallucination, no doubt,"

He turned away, "We need to hurry up, and solve this case before something drastic happens,"

**_L.O.V.E._B.O.U.N.D._**

02:45pm:

Everybody was sitting in the lounge waiting for Oliver to tell them about what happened here. Masako, who was feeling better after her run-in with the spiders, was sitting beside Yasuhara who had a number of files, and books neatly placed in front of him.

"So..." Mai began with anticipation in her voice, "What do we have, Naru-chan?"

Oliver gave her a side-long glance before riffling through a couple of pages of his notebook.

"Apparently, this house has been here since the mid-1800. The one name that I found connected with this house was that of one Satsuki Murakami. According to what I found out, Satsuki Murakami was a highly respected figure in both the Imperial Court in the Kanto region, as well as the government that had been developed by Ieyasu Tokugawa.

"During the regime of Tokugawa, he developed a complicated network of alliances of 250 regional lords. Satsuki Murakami was the son of one such regional lord: Susumu Murakami. Due to his loyalty to Tokugawa he had always been a well-respected man. This ascribed status, as was the norm of that time, had been given to his son.

"I personally haven't found any evidence that would support that this respect was well-deserved or was what the people wanted."

"Why was that?" Monk asked out loud.

"Satsuki Murakami was a strong supporter of the Shoguns, and the Imperial Court."

"But weren't the Imperial Court and the Tokugawa government in strong opposition of one another?" Mai spoke up.

"As history has the odd notion of never changing itself, it is exactly what would find, Mai," Oliver said with sarcasm. Mai had the decency to look annoyed, and irritated, but was yet to make a remark against him. She was too curious about what he had to say.

Oliver continued, "Like all other alliances that were against his regime, he had subdued the threat that had been presented from Satsuki. My best guess would be that he used coercion to convince him.

"In 1850 this house was built and completed for Satsuki's personal reasons, which are yet to be clearly defined. The fact that this house is a little less grandeur than what you would have expected from the son of a regional lord is interesting. The fact that he was 17 years old at the time is even more interesting to note.

"This house was mostly left unused after its completion, with only a few reported sightings of him ever coming here. If he visited more than the time that was mentioned is also unclear. The rare times that he did visit the place was for unexplained reasons and mounted only after he reached the age of 25. That is during the 1857 and 1858.

"After that Satsuki Murakami disappeared."

"Disappeared? You mean he died? Or was killed by supporters of Tokugawa?" Mai asked, puzzled.

"There is no account of whether he died or was killed. The circumstances for his disappearance are unclear, and his body was never found if he was dead."

"So, what happened after that Naru-bou?" Monk asked.

"This house was left untouched for nearly a century, 82 years to be precise. Until the 1940's that is."

"This sounds bad," Mai chewed a nail.

"I can feel it too, jou-chan," Monk also chewed a nail.

"This was around the time when the first disappearances started," Oliver continued, ignoring the uncanny duo of brother and sister. If he hadn't known any better he would have believed them to be siblings out of the fact that they were too much alike.

"The first ones ever to have gone missing were a pair of married couples out for their honeymoon on 15th August, 1940."

He looked over at Yasuhara to take the lead. Yasuhara nodded, and began in his business tone. Everybody turned to look around at him.

"The pair of married couples, that Shibuya-san stated respectively, was that of Taito Ryuji and Hana Ryuji, alongside with Jirou Keiji and Kimiko Keiji.

"On the night of 17th August, two days after their arrival, Hana Ryuji disappeared under mysterious circumstances. According to what reliable sources claim, on the night of 17th August Hana Ryuji had an unexpected bout of schizophrenia. She woke up during the night, waking her husband after she had started hearing unexplainable noises. Taito Ryuji claimed that he heard no such sounds, and told her to go back to sleep.

"On the morning of 18th August, 1940 Taito Ryuji woke up to an empty bed. Thinking that his wife was already awake, and making him breakfast. He dressed up, and went down to find his wife. What he found wasn't his wife, but an empty kitchen except the other two. So began the search for Hana Ryuji."

"Eek, that sounds awfully like what happened here," Mai acknowledged with a shiver. Her mind strayed over to the thing that she had met during her astral walk. She suppressed a shiver.

"It gets creepier," Yasuhara informed, straightening his glasses, "Having searched the whole house for his wife, Taito Ryuji came to the painful conclusion that his wife was lost in the extensive forest that had drawn them here in the first place."

"On the same day, he gathered his friend, Jirou and his wife, Kimiko in order to search for Hana. They went through the forest in search for Hana. They called out for her, but they never got any response from her, nor did they ever find any evidence as to she had ever crossed the forest. Nearing the end of day light, Jirou and Kimiko went up packing, hoping to call the police the next day.

"But Taito wouldn't give up the fight,"

"Poor Taito..." Mai said, a flash of pain crossed her face.

"He stayed the night, searching for his beloved. Unfortunately, he didn't make it as well. On the morning of the 19th, Jirou went out to search for his friend after finding out that he didn't return the previous night. On the excursion, he found no signs that Taito had ever been to the forest. Thinking something suspicious, he called the police to file a missing-persons report. He joined their party in search of Hana and Ryuji.

"Not giving up, the hard-working policemen brought on supplies for the night. The next day, Kimiko woke up in the hopes that everything had been settled, and that Hana, and Taito had been found. What she found, whatsoever, was that her husband alongside with the 6 policemen was nowhere in sight.

"Thinking that they must still be in the forest, she went out to seek them for herself. What she found was that they were nowhere in sight. She decided to wait till night to see what happens. You all can guess what happened after that."

Yasuhara cleared his throat, "From then onwards, the disappearances continued on with an average of 55 people per year. Keeping that information in mind, we can easily calculate that the amount of disappearances from than are: 3960."

"Wow...that many," Mai said in a hushed tone.

"We can also easily deduce from Mai-chan's elaborate experience, is the woman that she saw at the time. Which is puzzling, because I haven't found any information that a female may ever have crossed this place." He looked questioningly at Oliver.

Oliver gave a sigh, "Neither have I. The best we can do is for Mai to gather information through her dreams," he gave her an appraising look, "So, she should better hurry up. She shouldn't keep this going on for much longer."

Mai was about to reply heatedly when Takahashi-san's voice made her freeze.

"Oh...Atsushi-san are you going somewhere?"

**A/N: Finally updated. This is much shorter than what I had been aiming for, but I thought it best to update.**

**Note: This is a cliff-hanger. Sort of. **

**Anyways, for those who have not noticed: I have changed my pen-name from Music-Lover2011 to Amthyst. I hope this doesn't case any inconveniences for people.**

**I need reviews! **


	10. DreamWay

**Love Bound:**

**Night Calling:**

**Chapter 10:**

**Dream-Way:**

"I'm folding up my little dreams  
>Within my heart tonight,<br>And praying I may soon forget  
>The torture of their sight."<p>

Georgia Douglas Johnson.

March 14:

03:35pm:

Having being assigned by Oliver to search for anything inside the house, Mai had had little to no luck. For whatever reasons that he had chosen them to do this task, it could not be ignored that something substantial could come out of this. It was required for them to not leave any corner unhinged, and what better way then to do an extensive search of the whole house while the narcissistic bastard admired his reflection in a secret mirror that Mai suspected him of carrying. She frowned, maybe that was an exaggeration.

Peeking from behind the doorway, she could clearly make out his firm back seated over at the kotatsu – most probably poring over more information (and correcting it). Secretly, she admired the beautiful locks of hair that swayed slightly with his movement. A sudden hold to take hold of him bloomed in her heart; she bit her lip. Withdrawing from her secret spot, she let her desire hit a stone-cold wall.

She had work to do, she reasoned with herself.

The ladies' room was the last room to check, and Mai didn't have much hope for this investigation.

Taking a step towards the closet, Mai was hit by strong sense of vertigo that left her staggering on her steps. Mai collapsed with the door of the closet, and slid down slowly, her eyes closed. Was this the after-effect of her astral projection? Mai closed her eyes against the dizziness, and fell into a state of sleep.

**_.L.O.V.E._.B.O.U.N.D._**

Mai was standing at the edge of the forest, a slow wind blowing the little tuft of hair that she had. Everything seemed oddly clear and strong in her mind right now. The grass at her feet tickled her toes through the shoes that she was wearing. A strong, masculine form that seemed odd with her petite one, this person carried himself much differently – confident, and brave, Mai could tell.

This exuberance, however, was only an illusion; the heart was open. Scared, this person seemed to be – a loved one – the image of a laughing woman seemed strong in the mind of this person. She was beautiful, Mai knew, not because she was physically pretty, but the feelings that she could feel in the heart of this person made her think so. He loved this woman, but something was wrong.

Mai frowned, concentrating on the more subtle emotion flowing underneath this one – guilt, regret, anger. The notion as told by the digging of the nails that Mai felt in the hand that formed a strong fist. Memories of this person came to her eyes – last night, the sacred face of the same woman telling him something, him ignoring her and going back to sleep. The morning today when he woke to an empty bed, and the realization that she was missing from the house; he had known, he was sure that she was hiding somewhere in the forest – upset, angry and disappointed. She was always like that, and despite his knowledge he had still treaded carelessly on this line – he broke his promise that he would never hurt her. His vows when they had gotten married had meant something to him that he could never express to her, and that first night of love had left a strong impression in both their minds.

She had been scared last night, and he hadn't been able to do anything to curb that. He just hoped that she was alright, and that they could find her.

The trees were dark, the leaves rustling softly; beautiful it would have seemed on any other day, but right now he couldn't muster up the admiration for such a sight. He took that first step forwards, and didn't stop. He would find her, would do anything to make sure that she was alright.

The twigs crunched under his feet as he made his way through the undergrowth of the forest. Barely, he could hear the whispers of the insects that hid from his sight. The wind seemed chilly now, but he didn't seem to mind. His purpose was strong in his mind, and with that thought having taken hold of his heart, he found it hard to stop.

His breathing was becoming difficult with each sprint that he made. The lake – that's right, she should be there. She had wanted to see it, and was also part of the reason why they had come to this place. She would definitely be there. A bubble of hope bloomed in his heart at the thought, and his lips formed her name to call out for her – to tell her that he was still here.

He was finding it hard to keep up now, but he daren't stop. He felt as though he wouldn't have the power to get up once he fell – he was never that strong without her.

He was almost there; the trees were thinning. The silver reflection of the water shimmered just a few feet away from him. The motion of the light was attractive, charming, as though it were playing. He broke through the trees and came across a beautiful scene.

There she was – her knee length skirt blowing lightly in the wind. Her auburn hair scattered around in a mess, and her thin figure turned away from him.

"Hana!"

He directed his feet towards her, sprinting lightly. She didn't look around; he forced the pain away from his heart. He was so near her already. He made to grab her shoulder.

She disappeared.

**_.L.O.V.E._.B.O.U.N.D._**

Mai was careering through the black void at a fast speed. The surrounding around her was just an indiscernible blur that made her head spin. Fighting the vertigo, Mai closed her eyes. There wasn't any air in this place; it was suffocating her, but before she could make much sense of what was going on her feet landed firmly in another new scene.

This person was full of a controlled purpose – a driving force had taken hold of her firmly, and it wasn't about to let go as easily.

Mai concentrated on her surrounding. A firm, concrete flooring and the thick smell of engine fumes mingled with that of indisposed garbage. It was humid, as compared to the mountains that they were staying at now. A dirty, grey wall stretched towards her right. She could just make out the nearest grimy window above ahead.

Moving ahead as the person she was occupying trudged forwards; Mai could also make out the beginnings of a colorful graffiti covering the length of most of the wall.

A left curve took her off the pavement, and down a small street that curved right again into what Mai believed to be an alley. Her ears picked up some reticent sound. The person that Mai was occupying drew to it conspicuously.

Mai didn't really like where this was going. She was afraid, and the ubiquitous feeling of something pernicious in the heart of this person was making her hypothetical stomach ache with horror.

A broken mirror lay against the wall, and Mai caught the reflection of the person who had such darkness in their hearts.

Her eyes widened in shock, her face going pale, and her pink lips falling apart with a tremble.

This wasn't happening.

**_.L.O.V.E._.B.O.U.N.D._**

**04:02 pm:**

Two hours in, and Mai was yet to make an appearance with the possible information that everybody didn't see the possibility of happening. But Oliver had been of stubborn mind; it was always better that they explore all areas, and he had expected the idiots to be of the same, if not lesser minds than that of his own. They had five years of experience with him, after all.

Back to Mai – his mind rushed him. Gene's prophecy of him loosing his mind at some point in his life was coming true. Though that had more to do with the vicious amount of time he lugged his brain with the information that men double his age may not have understood then, and not with his slowly growing infatuation with a young woman with brilliant brown eyes. Even Gene could never have predicted of such a thing happening.

'Mai…where's Mai?' His mind went abruptly back to what had been bothering him.

He looked around; there was the rest of his team piling around a game of cards with the exception of Lin, and Mai.

He stood up, sneaking quietly off to look for her without drawing attention to himself.

His eyes drew towards the door to the ladies' room. He pulled the door back, expecting Mai to be collapsed on the floor – the girl could never stay away from noise lest it be an exception of this level.

And there she was. On the floor. Her body bent at a painful angle, and her hand loosely digging through the paper of the closet door. He saw the trail that her nails had left.

He hasted over the door step and was at her side in a second.

Bending down at her level he could make out the small beads of sweat forming on her creased forehead. Her long hair was a mess around her.

His mesmerizing, blue eyes took in her appearance rather critically. Her breath was coming in long, deep breaths; her face an amalgamation of pain and distress. Her legs were bent underneath her, and her back cambering against it to support the angle of her body.

His hands reached out till they touched the skin of Mai's arm – soft, smooth – he broke off. His hand sidled across her skin, as he moved to hold her under the arms. His heart picked up speed for no apparent reason at the soft touch – annoying him excruciatingly.

Ignoring this cacophony of his heart beat, he pulled Mai away from the ground. Her body turned towards him, now at a saner angle. He held on to her arm for a moment longer before he set it down gently.

Oliver noticed the change in Mai's breathing immediately. Her breath was coming in shorter, harsher puffs now – she was wakin –

Mai writhed sharply, falling on her back with a yelp. Oliver had the opportunity to appreciate caramel, brown eyes staring widely at him, before Mai launched in the air. Oliver pulled back, before their heads could hit. As reward of his timing, they only grazed slightly.

Mai seemed to be unsteady even while sitting on the ground. Oliver watched her spin slightly, and before he could reach out to steady her, she collided with his chest in a dull thump. His arms twitched slightly at the contact, but he held himself back.

Instead, he took hold of her shoulders, and pulled her back.

"Mai."

She groaned slightly, she didn't have any energy to hold her head steady; she just left it to hang piteously on Oliver's chest.

"Remind me to never leave my bed while we're still here," she muttered in a low, throaty voice.

"I'll make sure you remain chained in the room," he replied back in a serious voice.

A strange noise escaped her lips from the back of her throat. An attempt at a laugh, but she didn't quite manage so. She raised her head to look at him with red-rimmed eyes and a sour lip. She opened her lips to say something, but she was cut off by the arrival of others.

"We thought we heard Mai scream," Monk's voice informed them.

He stopped short of the scene before him. A teary-eyed Mai peeked at them from Oliver's chest, while the bastard himself had his arms rested on her shoulder. Sauntering in casually, he cast a nonchalant eye at his compatriots before uttering with as much nonchalance as he could while still giving the hint of his anger at the young man.

"Say…Naru-bou, you're not trying to rape Mai-chan are you?"

Oliver glared icily at him.

"If you would like to think so, Takigawa-san, but I have more pressing moments to attend to."

He turned around to look at Mai, who broke free of his hold and was fidgeting nervously while avoiding eye contact with everyone. She murmured something inaudible.

"Come again, Mai." Monk patted her head gently.

Mai cast a bleary eye at everybody around her, before saying again.

"Close the door,"

The sound of the door sliding shut, before silence ensued. Everybody closed in around Mai. They settled down in a circle, with her in the middle.

"Tell us what you say, Mai." Monk administered from nearest her – his hand still resting on her head.

"I saw…a young girl being…devoured by…Atsushi-san."

Silence.

Mai looked up uneasily at them, tugging a lock of hair behind her ear.

"When you say Atsushi-san…" Yasuhara trailed off.

"She was possessed," Mai elaborated, "By something that I can't put into words – it was too horrible. This…it wasn't supposed to happen Naru," she looked at him desperately, her eyes filling with tears again, "We all believed that this thing couldn't leave the forest, but look at what happened. It possessed Atsushi-san to carry out its heinous task for it – who knows who it will use next – or is the next victim – it could be one of us either way!"

Mai was sobbing quietly. Monk pulled her into a strong hug, rubbing at her back to soothe her.

Oliver closed his eyes, squeezing the bridge of his nose tightly – thinking hard. Silence except for Mai's raking sobs filled the air.

"You want to put a stop to this, am I correct?"

Mai settled away from Monk's grasp, rubbing at her eyes and then staring at Oliver.

"Of course I do,"

"Then you know, better then the rest of us, what that entails for you."

Oliver's eyes bored into hers for a few moments. Slowly, she nodded her head.

"I understand…I'll do my best, Naru – I promise you that."

He grunted, standing up.

"Then you have nothing to cry about."

He looked at her – Mai's heart stopped. There was a common fire in his eyes that Mai usually characterized with his determination. She hadn't known that it had been missing until she saw it again.

"You should rest before we begin…or would you rather that that be tomorrow."

Mai shook her head.

"No, it's alright. I can do it today – the earlier we start, the better we are close to solving this case."

**_.L.O.V.E._.B.O.U.N.D._**

**Day 2:**

**07:00pm:**

"Concentrate, Mai." Oliver's sharp voice made her jerk from her position within the kotatsu in the living room.

She glared pointedly at him, "I'll see how you can fall asleep with all these eyes on you."

"Would you like us to leave the room, Taniyama-san?"

Mai grinned, her teeth showing from amongst her lips – setting a nice contrast of pearly white with plump pink, "No, just you would be fine, Shibuya-san."

"I'll leave the room just fine, Taniyama-san, but you have the odd habit of throwing up on my feet regardless of wherever I may be."

"I'll even find you if you decided to get lost on purpose," she said with a low laugh.

An amused smirk pulled at his lips involuntarily, "We'll set that up for another day, shall we. Before we commence with that you must qualify for it by falling asleep, and solving this case while you snore so gently."

A wave of laughter rippled through the S.P.R, causing Mai to pout.

"Now you're just being mean, Naru – I don't snore."

"We'll argue on that later. Now concentrate."

She gave a small sigh, before closing her eyes and trying to fall into a useful slumber.

**_.L.O.V.E._.B.O.U.N.D._**

A majestic, elegant mansion set for traditional lines, but looking brand-new; Mai blinked at the stretch of historical grounds.

A serene setting it was with a large pond stretching right in the middle. It was filled with Koi fish and moss-covered rocks. A large tree with trimmed, rounded branches snaked out from its roots to cover the garden and part of the mansion roof that she could see. The garden was enclosed in a square with four corridors surrounding it. The railings were made of polished wood, and four cobbled, stone pathways enjoined in the middle from the opening in the railings. The roof was painted elegant blue.

From where she was standing she could barely make out the inside corridor from the one in front of her – jutting off into the depths of the mansion.

"Isao-san!"

Mai turned towards the feminine, shy voice coming from her left. A beautiful girl younger than her, dressed in a lovely pink kimono, was gliding towards a tall, rugged, handsome young man with brilliant brown eyes.

Mai walked closer to the couple, lest she miss something.

"Amaya-chan, how wonderful it is to see you again. You look especially beautiful today." He extended a hand towards her, and she took it gently – a little pink from his compliment.

"It is good to meet you again, as well. How was your trip to Edo?"

He took her second hand as well.

"It went very well, thank-you. I'm sure we will see the fruitions of my endeavor very soon," he smiled gently, raising her hands to his lips, and kissing them gently. He gave a content sigh, "I have missed you dearly; let's take this opportunity to spend some time together, shall we?"

She shook her head sadly, "Father wouldn't be pleased with that, he is not comfortable with this."

Isao-san's smile faded to be replaced with a subtle sour look.

"It seems that he may have forgotten that we are engaged…?"

She looked uncertain, "I don't know – he has never been like this with us before. I wonder what burden he is carrying on his shoulders,"

Mai stared a little alarmed at the young man. A brief look of something dark had crossed his eyes – Mai wasn't so sure this man was as pleasant as he appeared to be anymore.

"Let's not think too much into it. I have heard that the restaurant at the end of Kyoto is especially marvelous. Let us try it out this time."

She seemed a little conflicted, but she didn't get to reflect too much on that. Isao pulled her gently towards himself, and touched their lips in a soft embrace.

Mai turned away, embarrassed to be witness of such an intimate gesture. She didn't turn around until she heard the voice of Isao again.

"Let us not wait any further, my dear."

Mai nictitated at the sudden warped vision of her eyes. The couple was moving away now; Mai tried to follow, but she wasn't getting any nearer. The scene was starting to change.

A marble wall was overlapping with the green of the garden. The two people disappeared completely only to be replaced with four different people and the girl that she had seen before.

Something didn't seem right. A man nearing his mid-fifties was glaring with his cerulean eyes at the young girl named Amaya.

"I was very clear with you on this matter, Amaya. I do not approve of this behavior."

"But father" –

"This sort of action would make the people talk about your dignity, and I would not allow my image to be hampered with because of you,"

"But father" –

"Do not cut me out, Amaya." His booming voice echoed around the hall. Silence ensued for a while.

"But, we're engaged. You were the one who wanted me to marry Isao-san. So why are you so against it now?"

"Look at your brothers," he said ignoring her words, "They have been obedient of my every word, and yet you are the only one who chooses to disrespect me."

"I have done nothing of the sort, father" –

"Silence!"

Amaya cringed, "But we're supposed to be engaged," she repeated once again.

"You are no longer engaged to Hikaru Isao."

Amaya's eyes widened in shock, tears filling them slowly as her father broke her barrier. Anger filled her face as she grabbed the ornament in her hair and threw it at his feet.

"You never loved me – now I know that you never loved me. What kind of a father would do something like this to his own daughter? You always hated me, because Mother died because of me!"

"Do not say her name with those lips. I have nothing more to say to you."

Amaya's beautiful black hair cascaded down in a mess while she watched her father and brothers leave her side.

Nobody loved her – not even her own family.

Mai watched once again as the scene changed around her once again. Now she could make out the silhouettes of two people standing in a small, dimly lit room.

Focusing more on the figures, she realized them to be Amaya and Isao.

"So your father said that, did he?"

"He did…" she shook her head, wiping the tears from her eyes, "I don't know what to do anymore. In the time that we spent together, you were the only one who truly appreciated me – and I'm so afraid to leave you."

She looked up when she felt something brush her cheek.

"You don't have to leave me."

Surprised, she said, "You mean to say that you will talk with my father?"

Isao smiled gently, and shook his head, "No, it is too late to convince your father."

She stared at him, "Then…how?"

"It's simple…we will run away."

Once again, the scene dissolved to be replaced with yet another one containing two men this time.

One was Isao and the other one was an unfamiliar long-haired man with incredibly beautiful features. Unconsciously, Mai found herself blushing while staring at his brilliant dark, blue eyes that were similar to that of Oliver's.

"Satsuki…it seems that your plan will have to take action sooner than anyone of us could have expected."

"She talked to you, did she? I had faith that she would do something like that."

"I will be able to bring her to Edo in the following week."

"That's excellent. Though, I do have to question your intentions."

Isao smiled, "I love her. I will do anything to keep her away from that monstrous father of hers."

Benignly, he returned that smile.

"I'll be looking forwards to helping you two out."

**_.L.O.V.E._.B.O.U.N.D._**

Mai blinked, looking at the bright light of the swinging bulb overhead.

"Hey, look at here. Sleeping beauty's finally awake."

She looked around at Monk grinning widely at her with a pillow clutched to his chest.

"Well…that was sort of abrupt." She stated blankly.

"You've been gone for an hour. How ya' feeling, kiddo?"

Mai sat up, and shrugged to his question, "Okay, I guess. Though, I suppose I'm a little confused."

"Confused, as in how?" She heard the warm, baritone voice of Oliver.

"There's something, but I can't quite put my finger on it."

"Did we make some progress?"

She shrugged once again, "I'll find that out when I have more sessions to follow."

"We'll do that later; now tell us what you say."

**A/N: Hey people. How have you guys been; it's been quite a while since I had the opportunity to update, but here I am, finally.**

**I'm going through something atrocious as exam-month. I have just two left, and since I had a big break since then, I decided to take this day and type this chapter out for you. **

**I hope you guys like it. I'll be seeing you, hopefully, very soon. **

**I need reviews. Thank-you. =)**


	11. Hell

**Love Bound:**

**Night Calling:**

**Chapter 11:**

**Hell**

"How long she stayed I cannot tell;  
>But when she felt this perfidy,<br>She marched across the floor of hell;  
>And all the damned stood up to see."<p>

John Davidson.

**Day 2:**

**07:30pm:**

The sky was painted a deep purple. A few gold rays still managed to penetrate the darkness that seemed absolute. It didn't seem to know the mysterious resemblance it possessed that spoke so clearly of human life. That even in the darkest areas of the human soul, a glimmer of light no matter how small could shine through. The cycle of the day seemed to resemble human life in several aspects – morning: the rise of the sun, noon: the bright glare, evening: the dawning of the sun, and finally the seemingly unreachable recesses of night. It is similar with the birth of a man, the height of his life, the closing chapters of a life, and finally the death.

It resembled the life of one Oliver Davis who had just recently been touched by one of the true brightness of life, and even now it still hadn't risen fully. It was the rising of the sun – the faint glimmer that you see early morning. Instead of sunlight, this brightness came in human form.

That brightness is of one Mai Taniyama who was just as bright as the sun.

Sitting across from her, he watched her silently as she recounted her dreams. The wide, brown eyes which were passive normally held so much brightness that it seemed nearly impossible. The minute changes of expression upon her face; the movement of her lips, the flutter of her long eyelashes. The hand that trailed nervously through her long hair and the hand that clenched tightly against her chest. He took it all in, recognising softly the feelings that rose in his heart. For the first time he wondered whether fighting off the onslaught of these emotions was even possible.

Swiftly, he swept that depressing thought aside. He had decided that he would not let these emotions take a hold of him; it would only make things worse for everyone.

Apparently, according to Eugene the fact that he was actually acknowledging the change in his own body was a laudable feat. On any other occasion it would seem more prudent that he be very unaware of the condition of his own heart. Oliver had taken offense at the acquisition of him not even being aware of the changes in his own body. Absurd had been the word he had used to describe Gene's theory. Absurd was normally a word that he didn't acquaint with or any over-the-top with exaggeration words actually. This spoke much more of what he thought about the whole thing.

He was actually very nonplussed with his twin. He had yet to determine why he hadn't been able to move on, and the sooner that they get over with this fact the better chances they would have to ensure that Gene doesn't go 'rogue'. Oliver was determined to eliminate that aspect and he would be damned if he failed at such a task. The reason that Gene had provided for his prolonged stay was that there was a need for someone to guide Mai in the stage she was currently in. If neglected, the untrained powers could take a turn for the worse. It wasn't uncommon knowledge that spirits were drawn conspicuously to Mai, just like what the deal had been with Gene himself.

It was essential that Mai be well-trained for everything. Oliver couldn't argue with that. The theory that Mai had unconsciously called Gene pressed upon his mind. It seemed very plausible that she might have done something like that without awareness – it wasn't the first thing that she had not realized. He was very aware of it, though. The growing psychic connection between each other: Mai had neutralized his ki during their last major case, he himself had found on one occasion that his mind had been filled of thoughts not his own...and then there were those dreams.

Realization hit him; there had been two nights before coming here that he had seen Mai in his sleep. He had dismissed the thought thinking that it was normal for people to experience such dreams when they were in the same stage as he was now. He hadn't been pleased though – dreams were normally the interpretation of what held true in your subconscious mind, that is, the hidden desires of a person. Thinking now he saw that he was too early in this stage to have experienced such a thing. That would leave the option of psychical phenomena open to his systematized mind.

But the problem with this theory was that he wasn't an astral walker. The possibility of him entering the dream realm was non-existential. Mai couldn't be that strong all alone – the horizons on this were just expanding and expanding. It didn't make any sense. Mai shouldn't have any connection to him, or Gene for that matter. Then why was this happening?

He'd have to think about it later. Right now they had the case to worry about.

Mai's eyes turned towards him, and he started.

"You said that there was something you didn't quite understand."

His gaze was even with hers, and he could see the slight change in her eyes as she remembered what he was talking about.

"Satsuki-san," Mai began, and curiously, started blushing. Oliver stared at the pink in her cheeks ponderingly, "Uh – um, I don't know _"

She gasped, Oliver raised an eyebrow. Mai's hand whipped around quickly, snatching the pen from his hand and the notebook that he held. He barely flinched as Mai's bewildered eyes met his own. Her hand swung rapidly across the page, making long, swift arcs. He could see the heavy pressure that was exerted on the pages...and his precious information. He grouched, internally.

"My hand – it's moving on its own accord!"

Mai's eyes were solely trained on the image that she was drawing. Oliver moved forwards, this was the first time that Mai was experiencing automatic writing.

He watched as her hand outlined a face with long lashes, a thin nose and long hair. At first he decided the figure was genuinely feminine, but as Mai's hand swung across a sharp jaw-line he was of a different mind. The lips were definitely that of a man, if not very shapely. A thin figure, but decidedly masculine and a kimono that was embroidered with a small dragon on the left chest. Mai's hand stopped when it stroked the last edges of the feet.

The pen fell from her hand and rolled away. Nobody bothered to pick it up. There was silence for a few moments.

"Who is that, Mai?" Oliver asked, not taking his eyes away from the person that she had automatically drawn.

"Satsuki Murakami."

The way she had said the name made him look up at her. She was staring at the photo a little mystified, a streak of pink staining her face and her eyes a little glazed. Seeing that look caused a ting in his heart – he didn't like that. He snatched the notebook from under her nose and examined the picture more closely.

"Hey!"

He ignored her protest. He didn't see anything in the man that would have caused Mai to blush like that. Then again he wasn't a woman. Why was he pondering over this again? Somehow he was colder and more distant than he was before.

"Why did you draw him, Mai?"

He didn't take his eyes off the face of Satsuki Murakami. Oliver passed the book towards Yasuhara after he asked for it. His eyes drew back towards Mai who had yet to respond. Seeing the persistent glazed look in Mai's eyes, he decided to act.

He closed the distance between them as the book made rounds with the others. He raised a finger and poked her on the forehead. Mai didn't even blink, which caused him to frown. His finger trailed down her nose, barely touching her – and pinched her nose close.

Mai started; he could see the glazed look fading away slowly. Her nose scrunched up under his fingers and her lips parted as she inhaled sharply to keep breathing. She tried to pry his hands off of her, but he didn't think that it was the right moment to let go of her.

"Naru – let go!" her voice came out nasal, "I can't breathe!"

He released his fingers, crossed his arms and sat glaring at her while she rubbed her raw-red nose with tender fingers and teary-eyes. Mai frowned at him, her lips setting down unpleasantly.

"Why the hell did you –"

"You were dozing off."

"I wasn't dozing off, you jerk!"

"You didn't tell me why you drew the picture of Satsuki Murakami."

"I think it has more to do with facial attractiveness than anything else," Yasuhara intoned aloud. When everybody turned around to look at him, he smiled, straightened his glasses and continued on, "I think Naru-san and the rest of us noticed just how appealing Satsuki Murakami is in that picture."

"What're you trying to say, you?" Monk asked, displeased, "There was nothing attractive about that picture – instead, it gave me the creeps. That smile was nasty."

"Of course, Takigawa-san's perception of what is attractive is highly misplaced. He married Ayako-san after all," Yasuhara was all evil smiles and glinting glasses.

Monk, boisterous yet annoyed, trapped him in his arm and said deceptively cheerful, "I dare you to say that in front of her."

Yasuhara gave a laugh, "We both know what that entails. She'd come after you too, Monk-san," he gave a respectful bow, "I'd take my chances providing the entertainment that would soon follow."

"Hey, you –"

"As I was saying, it may not be necessary that that picture holds any truer meanings than Mai-chan's simple and innocent attraction to this man."

Mai blinked owlish eyes, her lips parted lightly in confusion – she looked _very_ cute – Oliver forced his eyes away from her.

"Being as open as you are to several ideas," Oliver began sarcastically, "I would like to think that all angles would provide a clearer image," he looked around at Yasuhara with his hair fluttering lightly and eyes set deep with frowns, "If that wasn't very obvious, before."

"It may have been the after-effect of the dream," Lin explained, "If that may be the case then it could go either way: that it holds some underlying meaning or that it was purely random only activated by the experience of astral projection. It may be true that Mai-san's brain was still actively present psychically because of her experience and this person may have left a strong impression on her mind regardless of what Yasuhara-san said.

It may not necessarily be the case as Yasuhara-san dubbed as 'facial attractiveness', but it is not entirely off the mark, either."

"If it does have any underlying meaning, what do you propose that it may be?" Oliver asked, facing Lin with a cupped chin and a thoughtful expression.

"He really may be the clue as to the haunting here. We may only know for sure with more information."

Oliver heaved a sigh. He didn't think that subjecting Mai to more dreams may be advisable since the effect on her wasn't all that pleasing. He would let her rest for awhile, may be a day at the most, and take action come the sun tomorrow.

Unconsciously, he turned towards Mai, staring at her openly. Mai blinked at him, unusually silent and as Gene would have said, 'looking like a rabbit'. Gene liked rabbits, basically because they had more fur than necessary and could be considered worth embracing. Oliver didn't particularly like any sort of animals, but he did notice the redeeming quality that set rabbits apart – they were silent. Thus, gaining his approval to secretly keep a rabbit in their room – Gene's side of the room – had come fairly easy.

Right now he understood a little why Gene had termed rabbits as 'cuddly'. He flinched mentally; the idea of embracing Mai was foreign – scaring him with this alien desire. It was small, this feeling, but it was enough to deter him.

"Go," he said, "You may rest for the evening. We will continue this tomorrow."

He turned away from her before he could see her reaction.

"Come on, Mai let's play some card games," Monk said.

Mai stared at him tiredly, "I...don't think so."

Monk looked down at her, his face suddenly showing lines of worry, "Why not, jou-chan?" he asked softly, "Are you feeling unwell?"

A lock of Mai's hair fell in her face, looking older than she really was. Mai looked forlorn, also a little pale. Her lip was trembling slightly – chalk-white. When she didn't reply, he ruffled her hair soothingly and forced her to look at him.

"Do you want to go to sleep?"

Mai tilted her head to the right and nodded gently.

"She hasn't eaten dinner," Masako voiced out, "It wouldn't be advisable for her to fall asleep on an empty stomach."

"I...I'm not really hungry."

"You'll eat dinner, Mai," Oliver said sternly. Mai looked at him, her shoulders slumping not having enough energy to protest against him.

"I'll ask Takashi-san to arrange dinner for her," Masako announced, before leaving to find Takahashi-san.

Everything was silent as she left.

**_.L.O.V.E._.B.O.U.N.D._**

**Day 2:**

**11:55pm:**

The clock was ticking relentlessly in the silence of the night. Everything was sleeping. But one Oliver Davis did not notice the tick of the clock or the silence that lingered outside of this door. He was looking over his previous information, trying to find links and gaps in the story. Right now one name was ringing in his mind continuously – _Satsuki Murakami_. He was a mysterious, long-haired man that had piqued the interest of one Mai Taniyama.

'_Dead...'_

'_He was dead,' _echoed around in his head. The events in the house had taken well over in the 1800's. The chances of survival for this person were none. If he continues to live on in the next world were still to be determined.

_Tick...tick...tick..._

The possession of Atsushi-san particularly interested him. Her return in the evening had caused a sort of silent panic amongst his team-members. True, they had been ready for her arrival and none of them expected her to remember what had taken place in the city. The fact that caused them to be so distressed was that she had been convinced that she had gone to town to see her little sister.

Oliver had called her residence after she had returned. It was true that she had a little sister, but she never dropped by the house today. To think that such an effect was easily attainable for what-ever was haunting this place was very disconcerting.

An ominous creak from somewhere upstairs, but for the well-occupied mind of Oliver Davis, he did not notice.

_Tick...tick...tick – creak..._

His eyes were getting heavy with sleep. His thoughts were getting sluggish and the time seemed to have been entrapped in a measured bubble. Little black spots wove around in front of his eyes, visible but still elusive. The colours of the world seemed vivid and jumped out at him making him blink several times to escape from disorientation.

This was Japan, the place where he had spent almost seven years – the place where his brother had died a tragic death. Initially, he had only planned to stay temporarily, searching for Gene had been the main objective. He wondered what it would have taken for the others to notice his grief at that time. His surly moods after he returned from his various trips to lakes all over Japan hardly went unnoticed, but they (Mai, in particular) put it off mostly due to the trip location being unsatisfactory.

Lin had seemed to sympathize with him enough to keep out of the way and not ask too many questions. Though, he was still never relieved from questions on account that Lin had to report back to his parents always. But he understood their worry. Luella was barren and on account of that they had adopted them – raised, and loved them like real parents would have done. He respected them for reasons he would never say. He cared for them, and even loved them – they are the reason who he was today.

The reasons that he had decided to venture on the path of ghost hunting.

But for him, whose time had only seemed temporary in Japan, had found himself rethinking his decisions by the end of those two years. True the paranormal activity in Japan was far more interesting than what they got back in England. But, the raison d'être (reason), as Gene would say, that governed his decisions also partly rested on the people he had met during this time.

Each was special and unique in their way with all-the-more annoying habits to go with them. They were competent and he knew that they had learned as much as he had during this time. The disbanding of SPR group had been hard on all of them. Though, no one would disagree that it had been the hardest on Mai.

Looking back on things, he knew that the various reasons why he had decided to return to Japan included Mai's feelings and the 'killing of two birds with one stone' had struck appropriate. The continuity of SPR had elated Mai; he liked to think that maybe his return had done more to harbour that happiness than anything else.

The Oliver who had returned to Japan during that time would never have thought this thought. The Oliver right now would never like to think these thoughts, but it could not be denied that he was more susceptible to such philosophy.

The sleep was playing with his head.

For a moment all he could see was a brilliant brown that reminded him of Mai's hair – he _knew _that he could smell the daffodils that seemed to have grown in them. Bare feet, he reflected vaguely – pink nail paint (he would never understand the desires of women).

A little bit of bare leg and white capri pants. A baggy green shirt that had a sleeping puppy printed on the front – very Mai-like.

His head snapped forwards and landed painfully on his notebook with a thud. All he could see was black with vivid sunspots tapping wildly around. He clutched his head, sighing derisively.

One eye open, he scanned the area looking for Mai. She wasn't there – his mind must have been playing tricks with him. Calling it a day seemed good enough right now.

Outside, a wind was blowing. Playing orchestra with the trees and insects – a slight whoosh and the leaves would rustle away. The chirping if insects was never ceasing in the background; high and low, fading and then rising once more. It seemed that nothing could disturb this display of musicality.

A crack as a fallen bark snapped in two. The crunch of disturbed leaves as something – a beast, perhaps – moved along hidden behind the shadows that the trees had carved upon the ground for eternity. A low breathing as they ambled across to an unknown destination.

And something stirred with its movements; a hatred born with revenge and blood lust. A manifestation that surpassed human recognition for surely who so ever crossed its path would fall into agony and despair. A hatred that walked along the path of hell. The hatred that fascinated the condemned creatures of this night for whenever it raised the creatures rose with it.

The hatred of Amaya Ichiro.

**A/N: I put a lot of effort into this chapter – that's the reason why it took so long to update. I really struggled with improving myself this time. **

**It kinda shows since the length isn't as long as I wanted it to be. **

**I hope this chapter turned out better than all the others. I'll keep trying to improve myself till I have the prose of Stephen King since I do picture myself as a writer in the near future. ;)**

**Please, please do leave a review. Criticisms both good and bad are welcome. Thank you very much!**


	12. A Tale of Mind and Memories

Love Bound: Night Calling

Chapter 12

A Tale of Mind and Memories

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><p>"<em>All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain?"<em>

_-Buddha_

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><p>Day 3<p>

Time: Unknown

Mai neared the edge of consciousness, awakened by a strange pulse beyond the blackness of her subconscious mind. It was calling out to her, and she could feel herself drifting towards it slowly – a heavy presence that would merge with her existing body. Mai related it to an object emerging from the depths of a lake. You could never discover the profundity of the lake unless you dived in or were pushed in. Even then you could never be able to explore it to the fullest. The human-mind was such.

The recognition of the bobbing object would always come after it had reached the top. Very much like the difficulty a person has in recollection when he is nearing consciousness. Completely unaware of everything except the small inkling that they were 'something'; Mai realized now that the subtlety of this emotion was only because their existence was such a common belief that it seemed thoroughly and totally integrated with their beings. The non-existence of this feeling would have been absurd. Dead people could not boast of such a thing.

_Doesn't Gene feel that way...?_

A lump formed in her throat at the thought – harsh and cold. She could feel the corner of her eyes getting wet. A near-sob formed on her lips, but the pulsing caught the sob halfway through. She opened her eyes to the warmth and brightness. A white light swirled in front of her. She stared at it, trying to recall where she had seen this peculiar thing before. Like a curtain drawing, she realized that it was a will-o-wisp. Without conscious thought she reached a shaking arm towards the light, it pranced away from her. She blinked after it, her eyes low and glistening – her arm stretched out to a lost hope. This feeling seemed ironic to her somehow. Though, she couldn't understand it herself.

If the reticent Oliver Davis had seen her like that – with her strewn hair, parted lips and eyes glistening with emotion – he wouldn't have been able to ignore her, to say the least.

Mai remembered the first time when she had met Gene. It had been similar to this, she knew clearly. She had mistaken him to be the nicer, hidden side of Oliver. That was how she had come to love two people at once – mistaking one for the other. Mai, however, believed that she hadn't been wrong. She knew for certain that they both had similar sides to each other – they had after all suffered the same fate together.

Even though Oliver was usually glacial and cut off, he wasn't bad at heart. He even had an unusually sweet side – the time that they had fallen down in that man-hole was a great example. He had also brought her that cup of hot tea at the Miyama mansion. He had also shown surprisingly strong trust in her when they had been kidnapped by the forgotten children. He had also wanted to put her under 'over-protection' when she had dreamt of being murdered in the 'Nightmare Dwelling' case. Also, Oliver could relate to people by way of his psychometric powers and he had given her this job because they were both orphans.

He was also an amazingly justifying person. When Kuroda-san had been causing the poltergeist unintentionally he had seen the need to not expose her to the principal since he himself had caused poltergeists when he had been younger. He had also stood up for Masako when the others had been ridiculing her as way to show his respect for her capabilities since he had experience with his brother being a medium.

True Mai sometimes had problems with his authoritative figure, but he had never done anything that he was personally against. The case at Rukouryo High School came to mind, where she had accused him of being a murderer and only later on found out what he had been planning from the start. It had irked her very much that he would have kept such information to himself, but even he hadn't been sure whether the hitogata would work.

Then there was Gene his opposite counterpart. He had helped her on nearly every case they had in the beginning. In turn he had been helping his brother indirectly. He had a wonderful smile and even though they hadn't gotten to know each other all that well during that time, Mai had formed a certain bond with him. He had also shown similar faith in her when she had to be the one to rescue everybody else.

He had always rescued her – just like Oliver.

It was only after his return that she had come to realize that she had never truly forgotten her feelings for him. Nor did she think that she would ever be capable of doing Mai knew that as time wore off and everybody kept on walking, she would have to come to a decision or life would make it for her. She knew that whatever conclusion that would eventually come, it would hardly affect the twins. A sharp pain pierced through her like a thorn and a few tears rolled down her cheeks. Perhaps she could have stopped the onslaught of these tears if she had been in a more capable situation. This time the pain was worse than when she had realized who Dream Naru had actually been, and that she could never get to thank him for all those times he had helped her.

She didn't want to forget any of this – not her feelings for either of them. She wanted to cherish everything that they made her feel and just drown in the false belief that they could ever have seen her as something more.

She didn't know how long she cried, but this regret and pain would not just end. If Monk-san and Yasuhara-san had been here with her they would have come up with something hilarious to lift her mood – as though nothing had been wrong in the first place and the world could go on being the way it was for all they cared. Ayako and Madoka being the mothers of the group would no doubt have comforted her as though she had never been an orphan. Maybe Madoka-san would have given Oliver an earful, and Lin-san would have tried to hold her back since she was pregnant. John would most probably have something sweet to say that would have been a refreshing break from all the bickering that they did. And though Masako and she were not competing for Oliver's affections anymore they were still rivals where medium-ship came in. She would have carefully hidden her concern under a bunch of irritable words that would no doubt have made her blood boil, and in turn make her forget about her sorrow.

Lying here in this world she realized she was alone.

Unbeknownst to her, the world around her shifted and warped – forming into a bleak, grey sky and a hard road. The presence of someone hummed to the front of her mind and through her position on the ground she could see the edge of shining black shoes. She craned her neck, momentarily forgetting her tears, and saw the figure of a small boy with his back to her. He was looking up at a red bricked house that she knew didn't belong in Japan. The boy couldn't have been older than eight.

A certain familiarity edged itself into her, and unconsciously she moved to stand up and get a clearer view of this strange boy. With a hand clutched to her chest she stared at the silky, black hair with unrestrained curiosity. A little shift of his head and she nearly gasped. This little boy –

Mai couldn't have stopped her feet. As she rounded the figure her doubt turned into conviction.

With his dark blue eyes, that wrinkled forehead, and those crossed arms – was Oliver Davis, eight years old. A little softness floated in her to replace that worrying grief that had shook her uncontrollably before. He was _adorable, _he was; with that freshly cut hair just above his ears, and his brand-new clothes and shoes which weren't black at all. The sight brought a smile to her face, that dark blue blazer and blue jeans. Even a wet chuckle escaped her lips at this very rare sight – not at all what she had expected. Though, even in this age he dressed sombrely.

Her enchantment was broken as he let his arms drop, swinging them slightly before he set his jaw tightly. The tension in his neck was apparent.

Mai took this time to take in her surrounding more clearly. It was a neat little neighbourhood with identical red bricked houses. Mai judged that this area generally belonged to the upper-middle class, though she wasn't sure since this area seemed very foreign to her.

The latest model of the year, a 1986 Bentley Eight in brown stood parked next to Oliver. She could see the trunk of the car was partially open. The house that he had been staring at was identical to the others. It was a double-storey house with a sloping roof. Two chimneys jutted out on the side and several windows manned the front. A train of white, net curtains bordered the lower half of the house which was entirely made of white panelled windows. In the upper windows, she could make out heavier ones that were slightly opaque. A low, wall squared around a neat little lawn and a one-car garage stood to the right that was most likely connected to the main house.

An uncertain hand reached to grip the front of the gate, but wavered slightly. Even at this age Oliver hid behind a carefully crafted mask. But this time Mai could harbour a guess at what was going on beyond those glaring eyes. He wasn't as well-versed as he was in the future.

A brewing tension smothered away inside him – an apprehension and a concern that always came when children move to a new place. Several questions that would have been too complicated for any _normal _kid his age, but Mai thought that she understood. Under it all, hummed away a feeling that she could relate with most clearly – the fear of rejection. Mai, being an orphan knew that feeling all too well.

There had been a time, when her mourning for her mother had abated a little, that she had started asking herself all sorts of questions. Will people sympathise with her or cast her aside because she was poor? She had wondered what it would take to be _accepted _by people once again. Mai could sense this same feeling from this boy who would, in the future, change _her _life completely.

Oliver had all the more reason to be doubtful since him and Gene had been ridiculed because of their powers – maybe even called fakes, and accused of being attention-seekers and made fun of; just like what had happened with Kasai-san. Mai could almost picture the other children shying away from a friendly Gene, who looks quite surprised and hurt at their reaction. And Oliver scolding him for being foolish – she realized just how strong a bond those two had formed. She remembered Madoka-san saying that Oliver was uncomfortable with Gene, and they had all been surprised when he had departed immediately for Japan. Even Mai would have been uncomfortable with a twin sister being able to hear every thought she possessed. But Mai believed that Oliver deserved more credit for caring about his brother – Gene was after all the closest person to him even after death.

A happy shout from down the street drew both their attentions. A replica of this boy was running down the street. A happy smile plastered on his face and his hair whipping behind him as he ran towards Oliver. Just like him, Eugene Davis was wearing brand-new clothes and shoes. A similar hair cut, but Gene's sense of clothing was closer to an average kid of his age. A yellow hooded jacket and red shirt with green cargo pants. This had been the time from the photograph that Oliver had given her – the clothes and age were exactly the same. She remembered it now, the feeling of familiarity that Oliver had given her.

"Oliver! Oliver! Oliver!" He yelled happily, stretching the last name to emphasize his excitement. He bounced to a halt, nearly running into him. Sweat trickled down his forehead, while a wild look blazed away in his eyes. Mai had adhered to a similar 'craziness' as her father had always said.

"Stop yelling, I can hear you perfectly fine."

"But! But! But! This is wonderful, isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it?"

Oh gosh! Mai was flushing – she had been somewhat like him, but right now she couldn't help but be _laughing_ at him.

"I'm _sooo _ready to livein _London_! You can't _imagine _how much better off we are from the other kids at the orphanage. This is the best!"

Young Eugene Davis took him by his arms and swung him around with a spring to his step. Oliver didn't protest, surprisingly, as he allowed his body to swing in co-ordinance with his Gene's.

"Hey –"

Eugene looked at his brother and stopped. A sad, defeated look befell his face as they stared at each other. He clearly picked up on what his brother was thinking. Oliver had half a mind to tell him that he looked pathetic like that, but decided against it.

"Hey..." Gene began again. He sounded upset now, but a smile pulled at his lips, "We don't – we don't have to go through all that ever again. So you should stop worrying, you idiot brother."

There was a pause in which Oliver lowered his eyes to that troubled smile and frowned displeasingly. He failed to elaborate, however.

"Nobody would be here to pick on us anymore," he gave a nervous tinkle, "Here our abilities will be liked and they won't make fun of us. Not like those idiots back there!"

He seemed to gain energy anew as he shifted from one foot to another excitedly, "Just think of all the possibilities! We will be earning money, can you believe that? All of those kids didn't have proper toys back at _that _place and we'll be earning money to buy that cool remote-controlled airplane we saw in that shop once."

Gene gave another laugh and hugged his brother. Oliver didn't push him away.

"You know. We'd be going whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Even though Oliver's ear was right next to his lips, he only stopped the 'whooshing' sound when he ran out of breath. A reluctant smile pulled at Oliver's lips as he hugged him back.

"You shouldn't think too much – it's giving me a headache those depressing thoughts of yours. It's going to be great. Just think of all the books you could get to read!"

Eugene puffed his chest and let go of him.

"We have a lot to look forward to, you know. Think of the all the schools we'd get to see. Though, they better watch out since Oliver Davis is coming along to set the world on fire!"

Eugene took his wrist and dragged him away to the house they had been standing before. With a fist in the air he yelled with all his might, "We still have each other! Even in death!"

Mai watched with a sad smile as the scene faded away. There was a dull throb in her heart and her smile fell.

A final thought crossed her mind as she faded away from them: 'Life was never fair'.

* * *

><p>Mai was staring down a narrow corridor lighted with dim oil lamps. The flickering orange light cast a large, deformed shadow behind her. It rippled with the glimmering of the lamp. A thick darkness obscured her senses. It set her nerves on fire with an alarming alacrity, and chilled her spine till she was unable to move. The muscles in her neck were strained – aching and stretching apart.<p>

She clutched at the wall stretching next to her, goose-bumps rolling down her skin. Instead, her fingers fell through a narrow gap in the wall causing her to jump in surprise, whipping her arm back with a quick reflex that made her chip her nail roughly. A sharp sting started in her finger as blood drew sluggishly from the cut. She clutched at her index finger, her mind fighting between the feeling of pain and the presence of dread.

The darkness drew in around the edges of her feet. She took a step back, fearing that it would totally encompass her if it touched her. The heavy presence made her feel as though it had an existence of its own – something that she would be able to _**feel **_and not just see – something that could easily wrap its arms around her neck and _**suffocate **_her – just like the arms of death.

She _**knew **_what it meant – a dark secret that gave birth to such an atrocity – the _**heart of someone – or something**__._ Mai was staring down at someone's heart ensconced in this darkness hiding atrocious secrets from anyone foolish enough to cross paths with it. Mai slammed against the wall to avoid the growing darkness, her knees almost buckling.

_**No...**_

She needed to get away – or else something awful would happen to her.

_**Naru...**_

Mai could feel something press in on her legs; it felt as though she were standing in thick mud. She clutched at herself, freezing immensely. An insane-driving fear clawed at her mind – like two saws rubbing together it crashed through her mind.

_**Naru...**_

It was sucking on her life – pulling her forwards with that inhumane force despite her resistance. It slammed into her, knocking her head on the wall – little stars erupted in front of her eyes. Something wet trickled down the nape of her neck, but it was a feeling that she could not have noticed for the eye-blinding headache. It stretched across the bridge of her nose, and into her eardrums with such a staggering intensity that made her believe that her brains would blow over at any moment. The heavy weight of the _**thing **_made her knees buckle, her shoulders aching with the strain. Blackness edged around her – _**penetrating **_the most fragile part of her body – her mind – her memories.

It was usually at times like this, when people are pushed to the edge, when the answers come easiest. To Mai, realizing that she was losing her memories came as easily to her as any other thought.

* * *

><p>"<em>A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions"<em>

_-Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr._

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><p>AN: For all the uninformed people out there: The sequel to Ghost Hunt - Akumu No Sumu Ie is available on MangaFox in english. The updates will come every two months. I created a forum regarding this information. So, if you want to discuss the sequel, feel free to do it there.

I know it's been long, but college started two months ago and I've been caught up in numerous of things. I've sorta felt uninspired at times when typing out, and I've been trying to work around that.

Also, I have a query: I'm trying to enter the whole 'show not tell' phase of writing, and I'm wondering if you would be kind enough to tell me if you could "see" the whole scenario – or was I merely telling?

Constructive criticisms are most welcome!

Do leave a review!

Thank You!


	13. In the Midst of New Formation

Love Bound: Night Calling

Chapter 13

In the Midst of New Formation – Forbidden Desire

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><p>"It is hard to contend against one's heart's desire; for whatever it wishes to have it buys at the cost of soul."<p>

-Heraclitus

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><p>Ecstasy rocked through his body, making delicious excitement rage through his mind in electrifying waves. It was a new experience for him – one he did not think that anyone would have been able to make him feel. It was very curious that he would have been as <em><strong>entranced <strong>_by as something as _**mundane **_as this. It aroused in him a lasciviousness that was both dangerous and impatient. It threatened to overtake his senses – almost making him lose control of his body. It took him a great amount of abnegation to restrain himself. However, he would wait...he had done but nothing else for the past century. Facile, he liked to think this was.

Nevertheless, this little thing pleased him immensely – he could almost _**taste**_ it on the tip of his lips – _**smell **_it in the air. It hit him with a certain satisfaction – enough, he argued, it was. The deed would not be complete unless – but he wanted to dig his _**nails **_into it – bite his _**teeth**_ into it. He would better to ameliorate his senses – he, after-all, had an assorted number of botheration that would require vigilance and extermination at best.

The moon was full tonight. The light of which made the lake glimmer with silver light. The surface shone deceptively simple; moreover it gave off a feeling of beauty and wonder. He, however, was not allured by it. He had seen more of it than anybody could ever think was possible. His mere existence, he smiled, was also beyond human imagination. That was also true of the kind of people that resided in this place now. He was inhumane as such the actions and desires that he possessed were also that were unmatched.

His shadow was conjoined together with the plastic-like figurine lying amongst the moist grass. He had to wonder how long he could ever stand and stare at it like this – he, who had spent his entire life and more in the hold of his goal, had found it impossible to look away. It would seem to him that he could go on and spend another century in the fascination of this thing.

How foolish, he was becoming – there was no guarantee that he would ever go on to live another century. Immortality, as one would say would have been the answer, but there was no such thing. He, however, had crossed that line to a certain extent so that he could complete what he had set out to complete. It would require his object of desire to take on a new formation to meet his needs. That was the task of his shadow – to recreate her. He could feel it coming to an end. Or an awakening, seemed more like it.

The plastic-like figurine stirred in its encasing. His breath grew heavy with anticipation, and his lips stretched apart in an apocalyptic smile.

_**It was time for the formation to begin. **_

Day 4:

12:21 a.m.**:**

The door to the ladies' room was left ajar. The distance was small, and may have been insignificant to anybody else, but he was not anybody else. It struck him as odd that the female population of SPR would have been careless in their want for privacy – even though it was really miniscule. He also wondered what it would take him to get that kind of commitment from them regarding other aspects of their job. He ignored the petulant pang of worry that suddenly gripped at him. He did not know that his heart could ever clench like that.

He slid the door back quietly. His neck stiff, he scanned the room with hardened eyes – the traces of sleepiness that had lingered around them were gone now. His eyes immediately fell upon the futon that was empty. The sheets had been thrown away haphazardly and he did not need a confirmation to know who was missing. He already had a feeling that it would be Mai, it always was. He, however, had not been prepared for the trembling that his heart would experience – clenching, unclenching more forcefully than would have been decent. It had only been once before that he had experienced such an onslaught of emotions, and through this stemmed unwanted thoughts. It was, for the second time running, that Oliver Davis lost himself completely.

She wasn't here – where the hell was she?

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><p>It had been ten minutes since Oliver Davis had alerted the SPR party to his disturbing finding. It had been five minutes since the search for Mai Taniyama had begun. It had taken only one sweeping look of the upper quarters to determine that she was not there. Neither was she in the grounds that surrounded the house, nor was she in the little side-cottage that housed the employees.<p>

With every lingering breath he took, the thought of her lost in the forest came more pronounced – pulsating like a rotting organ in his brain – obstructing him from thinking more clearly. They had had yet to determine the strength of this haunting, and the possible reasons as to surrounding the cause. The headway on this case had been minimal from the start. With a long history and restricted movements on their part, the case was looking more and more twisted, and the more he regretted ever taking on this request.

He would never forgive himself if something happened to her – he had never truly forgiven himself for what had happened to Gene. He believed it to be his fault, letting him get ahead while he studied for his doctorate – always for something selfish...

_**No...**_

He would not allow Mai to wander away from his reach – he would not let her die. He forced himself to be calm for her sake, he had to get a clear mind and keep a hold on his abilities. He would never get there like this.

"Naru, she isn't here! What could this mean?"

Oliver looked over at Monk, and saw his own worry reflected in his eyes. He looked over at the others – they all held similar faces, tight-lipped and pale. He swiftly looked away.

"I do not know the cause for her disappearance. To be honest, there isn't much information available to exactly deduce what kind of situation we may be facing. But my best guess is that she experienced the same phenomena as the previous victims, and got called into the forest."

"The forest!?"

"That's right. I think we should all spread out in search for her. Though, I would suggest that Yasuhara-san and Hara-san stay here since they have lower chances of protecting themselves."

"I also suggest that Naru stay behind."

Oliver cast his eyes to Lin and gave a sigh.

"We would only be wasting precious time if we argue about this right now. My main priority is to see that Mai gets back safe and sound."

His voice was laced with an aggression that dared anyone to stand up to him this time. He knew that their main priority right now was to extract Mai from anywhere she may have gone. He gave their faces a last searching look – knew they wouldn't argue – and turned away from them. His steps made the path for the others.

* * *

><p><span> 12:35am:<span>

It was when they had almost reached the outer trees that agonizing screams tore through the night like a banshee-wail. It was upon instinct that everybody covered their ears, and no one was suspecting the onslaught of white-orbs.

"These are shiki!" Takigawa yelled over the din, remembering that disastrous case where Orikiri-sama had acquired a blood-lust for all those who ceased to worship him. At the time, the detection of such spirits had been difficult for Masako since they were hollow and expressed no grudge or emotions of their own. They had caused pain, but they had been incapable of inducing real harm. One tore through Takigawa's arm causing him to yell, "Dammit!"

"Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!" Lin's nine words cut through two of the shiki that had been aiming for his gut. It formed a shear in their form, before forcing them to vanish into thin wisp. It only took a matter of seconds before three more were rushing towards him. He looked at the escalating mayhem building up around him, and yet through all the panic, his eyes were drawn to a black figure standing nearest the forest. Time slowed down, enough so that he could have distinguished between the smallest details in this scenario – but impeccably, his eyes quickly searched his face – and formed an unpleasant conclusion.

The eyes of Oliver Davis – a striking dark blue, which usually showed a carefully upheld control over his emotions, were nothing but the eyes of a dead person. A brief thought of Gene hovered somewhere beneath the tantamount of thoughts running through his mind at that moment – and he knew what that look meant. There was the emotion of resentment that made his heart flutter – that Oliver Davis could not have handled this particular death all that well – not for the second time will he lose the closet person to him after his brother.

That look scared Lin more than any overflowing emotions in those eyes could have – and he could almost _**see **_Professor Davis and his wife coping through their second loss – could _**see **_his pregnant wife in shock – could _**see **_those tears building in their eyes – and he would not have it. A shiki tore through his arm, but he ignored the pain. He knew that if he allowed this situation to escalate nobody would survive the brunt of Oliver's PK. The point of rationalization had fallen at Oliver's feet, and he would not spare it a glance unless this obstacle was _**out **_of the way.

He dodged the shiki plummeting towards him, his hair flying behind him. He quickly casted the nine cuts with a strong arm, and let it cut through the air and towards the spirits that chose to attack Oliver. He shoved him in the ribs, and sent him staggering into a tree. Lin could see life flicker in his eyes before they closed under the impact. His head collided with the trunk, his hair falling in his eyes – hiding the coursing emotions from Lin. A strange chant struck through the screaming din of the spirits, and realizing what it was, Lin quickly grabbed Oliver's arm and pulled him outside of the trees.

"On kiri kiri bazaar bajiri hora manda manda unhatta. On sara sara bazaar hara kyara unhatta. On ami rito do hanba unhatta. On biso hora daraki sha bazaar han jara unhatta. On asan magini unhatta. On sha ugyarei maka san maen sowaka!"

Completing his chant for a kekkai barrier, Takigawa struck his power-infused vajra into the ground before a large tree. The screaming stopped, and the sudden silence rung in their ears.

Lin looked at Oliver, but his eyes were hidden, and his fists were shaking. He put a small hand to his shoulder, but before he could say anything Oliver's head snapped up. With much relief, Lin could make out the straining growing emotions in his eyes once again. And above it all the main cause for his relief was the fact that they glimmered with determination – the iron-strong and stubborn will that had always shown in his eyes when faced with a challenge.

"Takigawa-san!" Oliver's voice came out loud and strong, making the unnerved party jump in alarm, "Fetch the charms that we had your wife make. Fetch enough for back-ups. More-like bring every available."

It didn't take long for them to get started once again, and it was with cautiousness that Lin stayed as close as possible to Oliver. He would also prefer that Oliver be given another lecture. He hadn't had one in quite a long while, and it was in his best interest that he does not forget what his training had been for. He knew that Oliver was like any other person, and such exceptions were only in the extreme. It was to tell him that his behaviour hadn't gone unnoticed, and that he be more careful in the future. At times like this, Lin worried that giving him a little bit of leeway would result in future carelessness. He wanted to prevent that.

* * *

><p><span>12:40am:<span>

Her head felt heavy, a vague pain throbbed in the bridge of her nose and her temples. She couldn't recall anything – her mind was a blank stretch that held nothing but darkness and a forming recognition of her body. She could feel something soft and prickly under her arms, a wind breezed past the hair on her skin, and she could feel the goose-bumps that it formed. She opened her eyes, it took her a moment to realize that it was a chilly air that filled her lungs, and that it caused the strange throb in middle of her chest. It took her even longer to realize that her eyes were open and she was gazing up at a black sky.

It was on unconscious whim that she clenched her hands – her brain making sure to recognise every limb. Her fingers grinded against something cold and damp and it was with this sensation did a smell reach her. It was familiar – wet, dirt and grass. Green filled her mind – the colour that she associated with grass, and green tea.

_**Tea...**_

The word hung in her mind – blank and hollow – a strange numbness overcoming her with each echo of the word. It felt empty – incomplete – like she was _**forgetting **_something. A new smell stung her nose, of burned tea leaves and sugar, and with it rose a hope of recognition – but it fluttered away when that empty hollowness in her returned.

_**Meaningless...**_

It only took a little while for these fleeting thoughts to disappear as well. Her eyes were half-lidded as though hypnotized, but she could still make out that tiny breath of air that alerted her to the presence of somebody else beside her. Thoughts of running away never crossed her – it was more like that _**no thoughts **_flowed through her mind. She was blank – easily written upon – easily changed. Indistinctly, she could make out a shrouded figure hovering over her, but the black sky swam before her and the difference between the sky and the figure was lost to her. Her eyes drooped and she nearly fell asleep, but a cool touch to her forehead made her open them again. She felt someone lower their head to her left ear – a shiver trembled through her spine.

"My lovely, it is time for you to wake up..._**properly**_," It was a whisper – indistinct. There was a moment where she believed that she could feel the person lying beneath that voice, but it fluttered away like the breeze blowing through the grass.

"Let me teach you...let me teach you what you are capable of," There was a huskiness to that voice. A pleasant shock travelled through her spine and lighted up in her toes like electricity. It made her catch her breath, and her heart speed up. She hadn't known that a sensation like this even existed.

"Let me teach you...what _**we **_are capable of doing. _**Desires **_born and fulfilled – ecstasy and satisfaction _**conjoining **_together. Two hearts soaring in joy," The odd delight in that voice made her heart ache with something she didn't recognize. It was searing and hot, and it made her feel warm in the lower part of her abdomen, "Desires...yes."

"_**Desires..." **_She was surprised to know that this new, low-pitched voice belonged to her. It didn't feel as something that belonged to her, but it didn't feel wrong either.

"Desires are what humans are most capable of...but desires aren't as easy as some people think...other times it comes as easily as breathing," She could feel a smile stretching in that voice now, "The most _**dangerous **_kind of desire flows together between two human beings."

"Dangerous..."

"That's right...so dangerous that some people believe it to be..._**forbidden.**_"

"Forbidden..."

"But it is this is desire that makes human-beings feel the best. So _**foolish **_they are by creating morals."

"Foolish..."

"Humans show nothing but contempt to things out of the ordinary – they do not know how to _**love.**_ All lies they speak about caring – when they do is nothing but _**hate**_."

"Love, hate..."

"Do not believe them for a moment – they will _**harm you**_."

"Harm...me."

"Desires...all you need to do is follow your desires..."

"Follow...desires."

"The best desire...two bodies mingling together as _**one**_."

"Two bodies...one."

"The desire that is beautiful – _**love **_it makes."

"Makes...love."

"Something so incredibly powerful that it forms _**new life**_."

"New...life."

There was a cool hand touching her arm, and it had a vice-like grip that tightened when she muttered those words. The breath on her neck was cool and she liked it, it held the meanings of those words. For her there was no concept of right or wrong – morals, as the voice had said.

What were morals...?

She didn't need to know, there was no curiosity in her, but she breathed. And what the voice had said seemed to form the basis for her – desires were all that existed in this world. The other things had no basis and were meaningless in their existence, and so she did not need them. Desires are all that took for the world to be complete. Fulfilling them was the purpose of her origin right then.

Stemmed from what it had spoken to her – she did not know what 'the mingling of two bodies as one' meant. It had said that it was the best desire, and now she wanted to know what it was.

"Two bodies...how...one."

A growl of approval, and the breath grew hungry on her skin.

"Let me show you..."

* * *

><p>Their charms were effective. You could always count on Ayako to be very handy with charms, and it was a mark of her power that deflected the shiki from them. They sprinted through the forest, avoiding broken branches and stones that could cause them to trip. An unnatural darkness surrounded them and vision was not great. Even the torches that they had brought along with them only stretched so much till they were also eaten up by the darkness.<p>

Their worry plagued them like a sickness. It hung over them with the prospect of death increasing the more time it took them to reach the cure. It fuelled desperation and dread at the back of their feet – chasing through the undergrowth, and occasionally nipping at their ankles. Insects climbed up their legs in a scurry, and it didn't take long for the whole undergrowth to be filled with infectious insects swarming around. They scrunched under their feet, the goo releasing from their bodies made their feet slippery.

Bou-san skidded on a stranded branch before he could stop his movements by the help of a tree. Unfortunately, that tree was covered with beetles, and they climbed up his arm. He shook them off with a disgusted sound. They had nearly reached his charm, and he didn't have a doubt that they would have tried to destroy it.

A spider – black and hairy – scuttled through the swarm of beetles abnormally towards Oliver's leg. Oliver didn't hesitate in stamping over it. He ignored the loud crunch that followed, and didn't spare its remains a glance in his hurry. This horde of insects was anomalous. They wouldn't be here for any purpose unless the entity knew that they could be considered a threat. For what objective had Mai actually been called out for?

He did not know the answer to that question, but what he could deduce was the fact that this wasn't normal. Mai was a perfect-medium in training, could it be that the entity had taken her as a threat? But this theory had its own flaws – why would it draw attention towards itself by kidnapping a member of their team? It would risk discovery despite Mai's capabilities. Did it think that they wouldn't pose such a large problem?

Through the distant trees, John could make out light on water. The moon reflected in silvery depths of the lake – but he did not have time to note the angry ripple that broke across the surface. An odd shrieking filled the air – it was angry, full of vengeance.

As the trees were left behind, they came to a scene that made them halt in their tracks. Strangely, the insects did not cross this barrier. They hurried away, as though scared by that inhumane shrieking.

Mai was lying in the grass with a long-haired figure hovering over her. Its head was much too close to her, and the long hair shrouded their faces from view. Oliver's heart jumped up in his throat, and he stepped forwards.

"You're the one responsible for this." His voice wasn't loud over the shrieking. There was a sucking sound, as though a stopper had been unplugged from a drain, as the figure's head snapped up to look at them.  
>"Thats...!" Bou-san's mouth fell open as he stared at the person.<p>

Oliver, however, narrowed his eyes as Mai drew in a large gulp of air after being released. He knew what this person had been doing to Mai, but his chest felt hollow and empty – no emotions coursed through him as he acknowledged the fact.

"I didn't expect you to come as fast as you did."

There was a smirk on its face as it stood up. It offered a hand to Mai, who took it. The figure stood in front of her, as though guarding.

"Mai! Come over here, quick! That man's dangerous!" Bou-san shouted over the shrieking.

There was no response from Mai – not even an expression of confusion. There was a strange look in her eyes, and her lips were pink and swollen.

"Mai...!" Bou-san's voice faded into the shrieking as he realized that something was wrong with her. Anger consumed him, "What the hell did you do to her, you bastard!"

The figure just smiled – a chilly one that held no life.

It happened at once – Monk casted his kuji, Lin the nine cuts and John chanted his quoted from the Bible. It was the brunt of this attack that made the figure loose his focus for only a moment – but all it took was this lapse of a second. The shrieking continued, when there was a loud splash from behind Mai. She did not turn around, but everybody could see.

A pale, wet corpse scuttled towards Mai and grabbed her by the ankles. Mai fell over, and did not scream when she was dragged roughly towards the water's edge. It only took a flick of a hand for the figure to stop the commotion. The SPR party was knocked off their feet, and the rotting corpse let go of Mai. It was lifted into the air – its bones bending inside of it. It grunted in disapproval, but was set onto the ground – oddly straight and obedient.

Oliver, who was getting up, was knocked over by a foul-smelling arm that looked as though it would come off at any moment. It was when he was most vulnerable that it had decided to attack him – images filled his mind from that contact. There wasn't any time for the corpse to sink its teeth into its flesh – it was blown away by Lin's shiki. It screamed as they tore through its bloated abdomen – it looked as though it held a child. Lin ignored the pang of guilt that he felt as those thoughts crossed his mind. It hurried away towards the tall figure that still stood in front of Mai.

"You've been very bad, Amaya-chaaan...Looks like, I'll have to do this – you left me with no options."

They didn't know what he was doing, but the corpse shrieked in agony. The little remaining flesh on it fell part to reveal the skull and the skeleton. It fell like a puppet that had its strings cut, but that wasn't all that fell. As the corpse withered away, a small figure fell at its feet – a dead foetus. Their eyes lingered on it before it flew away in a fine dust.

* * *

><p>"The essence of morality is a questioning about morality; and the decisive move of human life is to use ceaselessly all light to lo ok for the origin of the opposition between good and evil"<p>

-Georges Bataille.

* * *

><p>Love Bound: Night Calling is almost at an end. The next chapter may be the last one – or the second last at most.<p>

There _**will **_be a sequel to it, but I'm planning on finishing my first Ghost Hunt fanfiction: Power after this – the sequel will most probably be posted after that.

Anyways, I'm looking forward to constructive reviews. Tell me all that you liked, and all that you hated. Tell me if Oliver seemed in-character or out.

I'm also curious about my writing presence – or expression. I want to know whether I leave a strong impression on you guys or not. If not, then do tell me, since I want to work on that as well.

Also: Go check out Melting Away by Agwen. It's a story about a married Mai and Naru after ten years of first meeting each other. It's wonderfully written and the characters are well-developed.

I'll be hoping to update the next chapter pretty soon – so look out for me!


	14. Chapter 14

Love Bound: Night Calling:

Chapter 14:

Desire – Abyss of Destruction

"Living substance conquers the frenzy of destruction only in the ecstasy of procreation" – Walter Benjamin.

The world seemed to have stopped. To Mai it seemed as though everything had come to a stand-still. There was something crawling on her skin, it gave way to an involuntary shiver that seemed different to her from when the man had whispered in her ear. She had liked that feeling, but this one was unpleasant and made something disgusting gather in her throat. Like the others before her she had not taken her eyes off the spot where that little figure had disappeared from. She did not know what it had been, but it seemed to have been important to them. Their faces were a sickly white that stuck out on this dark night. She saw them shake where they stood, and every single one of them held a similar look in their eyes. She did not know how to describe it, and her mind struggled with grasping it. It was a weak effort.

Ultimately, her attention was brought back to the man who had started to define her. Unlike the others, he was calm and his eyes held life in them that sparkled with the light of the moon. His eyes were blue, and the reflection in them made her heart flutter. It was a light, airy feeling that gave way to a certain cadence to the thrum of her heart. The sensation from before lingered on her lips, and she bit them – getting a taste that made her blink several times. He caught her staring at him, and he responded with a curve of his lips. He moved towards her, and the reality of the others vanished from her mind as such that they may never have existed. She allowed his shadow to consume her.

"I'll take you away."

She drew in a sharp breath, and held it there. She stared at his sparkling eyes with a heavy-lidded fascination that made her sigh dreamily. It may have been unknown to her, but this kind of a life where she was loved by someone she loved had been her ultimate desire, that she had sacrificed only wanting to be closer to them. She was moving on – no, she was beginning anew. She felt his hand grasp her own, and her mind travelled down to their entwined fingers. The feeling was warm, and she felt her lips curve upwards in a smile. She could feel the muscles in her jaw stretch, and vaguely committed the sensations to her thoughts.

He led her away, and she took the first step. Her heart filled up and along with it her face burned. They never broke eye-contact. His feet were that of feathers, it seemed to her as though they were light enough to lift him in the air. Her arms stretched with him, and she felt a wind flutter between them. She felt as though she would float away with him.

She hadn't completely made her step towards him. She felt something buzz in her ear. It was a sudden discovery, one that made her feet falter in consideration. Her eyes widened in alarm when the air around her began to crackle with electricity. It touched her in the hands, and she could feel it buzz where their skins were touching. It stung, and she snatched her hands away from him. She didn't manage to scream – she had not yet learned how to do so. Her eyes did close, however, and her legs gave way. She clutched her arms protectively to her head.

It was a challenge, and one he would have accepted happily. He stared at those stone-hardened eyes, so similar to his own, with a thrill that he had deemed long-lost. His way of life had been dull. It was the usual with raising Amaya and the mild excitement that came with every meal, but even the meals had lost that quality to them after a while. Amaya had always been an indifferent topic to him, she had been nothing special, and he had grown tiresome of her predictable behaviour after her transformation.

The meal had grown bland. He had gotten used to the taste too soon, he was slightly grateful that it hadn't been available in abundance. There were moments where you could not appease Amaya's hunger for flesh with deer meat or any other kind of animal meat. It was a problem, and he had lived with it for over a century...but this was new. It was the kind of new that made his mouth water. It was the kind of reaction that one would have when associating with your meal, this forgotten sensation made him hungry for his opponent's flesh. It would be alright to devour this fellow.

There was a jolt in the energy, it felt like anger buzzing around in the air. He couldn't help but leer at his opponent's displeasure. One would think that over a century of tameness would have rendered him weak, he was anything but. His new companion was not someone he was willing to leave behind so quickly. Though, he did consider whether his challenger would not even do as to spare him that. There was a chance that he could attack even when his companion was standing beside him. He, however, could not risk such a reckless move. She was much too precious to him, for her to be exposed to such a danger was unthinkable.

There was the force of Oliver releasing his PK. There was a loud, strangled yell from Takigawa as he rushed towards Mai. He grabbed her arms and pulled her away from the line of danger. He fell back with Mai on top of him, and he shielded her head from any extra force. To him, the world was a cacophony of winds and energy. He knew that the PK hardly grazed that crazy bastard.

He swiftly dodged away into the trees that weren't on the receiving end of the PK. There were cracking noises as several trees broke from their hold, and crushed many of the insects that had been holding fort for another attack. He didn't waste any time in taking the offense, regardless. He jumped from the back of a branch and landed neatly in a crouch, his fist extended towards that pale face. His opponent avoided with the mere tilt of his head backwards. His eyes never lost focus. They were marred with that deep frown, and the intense pulse that raged away in his temples. He could see the sweat covering his forehead, and the dilated eyelids that gave a certain craze to his appearance. They were locked eye-to-eye, and his were empty.

It was fascinating to him. The disgust that was on his opponent's face was more thoroughly pronounced with the arrogant posture that he held. He was looking down on him. There wasn't much space for his opponent to make another attack. The space between them was too small for any big movements.

There was a whistle from behind him, but he was too late to dodge the shiki. They tore through his chest – the pain met with the attack was excruciating. His feet faltered away from his intended opponent and he hunched over, his hand clutching his chest. There was dark blood flowing from his wound. It was completely round and neat – he could see through it. It was amusing.

"You're never coming back."

Those words were spoken by his opponent – the arrogant look lingered in his eyes. His hands were raised over his head, clasped together. He released them, and the PK tore through him. He never had a chance to dodge.

It was only a matter of time that Oliver collapsed under the brunt of his PK. It was Lin who carried him back and Takigawa who led Mai with them. She hadn't spoken till now, and he worried whether they'd be able to get her memory back. Though, now that the source of her 'new formation' was finally gone, he prayed that she return to them as soon as possible.

He was also glad that they had finally dealt with this horrific case.

The gist of the mystery was that Satsuki Murakami had been an immortality fanatic. Though, he did admit it himself that there was no such thing – he was still desperate to live on in this world one way or another. This sort of thing, he decided, was to be achieved through procreation – as in he would transfer himself into his conceived child, for that he needed a constant companion.

He tricked Amaya and her fiancé into coming to Edo, where she was betrayed by him. He left her and she was forced to cope with her loss. Satsuki came onto comfort her after he had disposed of her fiancé. He secretly fed her a serum that would make her 'immortal' alongside him. She gradually fell for him. But the serum drove her insane, and she became the dead creature that lived off of human meat after that.

She proved incapable of holding his son, and the end result was a dead foetus in her stomach. It was due to this that she met the death that she did.

But Satsuki wasn't about to give up that easily. When SPR came to investigate the forest, he sensed Mai and her repressed abilities. He deemed her worthy for this task, and the reason why he needed her to begin anew – so that she wouldn't go insane like Amaya did. Or that was the conclusion that Oliver told them after he had recovered from his coma.

Mai had regained complete memory after a week, and the SPR office had been the centre of an overnight party in her honour.

**A/N: **That sums up Night Calling. Thanks to everybody for sticking around with me. I hope that you guys forgive me if the ending seems a little too rushed, but I've been coping with slight depression for several weeks. It's the reason why it took so long for this chapter.

Anyways, things are very slow at the moment. I've got exams coming up in a few months, and I really need to get studying.

However, there will be sequel to this one. I know I said that I would update Power after I completed this one, but I don't know whether I'd be able to continue that one. I've just lost motivation for it. Maybe, if I get my motivation for it back up I'd most definitely write it again.

I need reviews!


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